The Secret
by orsinoslady
Summary: What if throughout AYITL Rory and Logan had a secret they kept from everyone but a few select people? How would this impact the events that happen in the revival? Follow along as we explore what this secret is and the impact it has on the relationships of our favorite characters.
1. Prologue

"Goodbye, Rory."

Rory released a shuddering breath as she watched Logan turn and walk away from her on what should be one of the happiest days of her life, her graduation from college. Her eyes lingered on one of the only guys she's ever truly let in and loved fully. Though he didn't know it, her heart was breaking just as much as his was at the moment. She released a final shuddering breath before pasting a smile on and turning to her family. She would act happy if it was the last thing she did that day.

Caught in the bustle of the rest of the celebrations, Rory could almost forget what happened earlier. Almost. But, once everyone had left and she was by herself, she found herself returning to that feeling when Logan walked away from her. Rory allowed herself a few minutes to wallow before her mom came back and made a promise to herself: she would try her hardest to put this behind her and move on.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Even though she received the job on the campaign trail and was too busy to remember to even call her mom, late at night she would find herself dwelling on Logan again and again. Even when she finished the trail after Obama's election and she returned home, she was still not over it. Of course, she made sure no one else knew that. She knew her mom would scoff and Emily would use it as an opportunity to try to set her back up with Logan. But, they had each made their choices and had to deal with them. It was obvious to Rory that Logan didn't want to be with her if they weren't married.

So, Rory moved on with her life as best she could. She started traveling and taking freelance jobs that came along. She was happy, well, as happy as could be, with her life and job. She didn't really have roots and it was hard to make friends. It was a fairly lonely existence. But, this was what she wanted, right?

It was because of this choice that Rory found herself in Hamburg, Germany for a Newspaper and Writer Conference. A lot of big newspaper and digital media corporations were attending as well as writers from some of the world's biggest writers. It was a great networking opportunity and Rory hoped that she might get some more jobs out of it or even a permanent position.

The first day of the conference, Rory felt almost overwhelmed. There was a large opening session where everyone attending gathered in the ballroom and Rory recognized so many amazing writers that she felt inadequate. She had to remind herself that she was a fairly important writer that had been published and featured in some big magazines. She had just as much a right to be there as they did. Confidence boost handled, Rory allowed herself to relax and enjoy the event. It promised to be a week full of networking and amazing sessions. She wanted to make the most of the event.

After the opening session, the rest of the day was a blur of sessions and collaborations with others. Rory was exhausted and collapsed as soon as she reached her room for the night. That exhaustion might explain Rory's inability to function properly before making it to breakfast. She was thankful that the conference was being held in a large hotel and that she was able to stay there. She just had to make her way to the ballroom to get some coffee. It also meant she had to walk to the gauntlet of writers to get there. She hoped she was able to make it without having to really talk. She just wanted her coffee and a few moments of blessed silence to enjoy that first cup.

She was so zeroed in on the coffee, she didn't see the person step into her path and they collided. Each reached out for the other and held on till they were steady.

"I'm so sorry!" Rory exclaimed as her heart rate slowed.

"It's no prob—"

Rory looked up when the person speaking broke off and froze. "Logan?"

Logan's mouth moved, but no sound came out. At the same moment they each realize they were holding on to each other and let go like the other was hot. Rory stepped back a few paces and felt herself start to blush. She started to nervously bite her lip as she looked at Logan. She never thought that she would run into him here, but she should have known that he would be there. It was all over the papers when he returned to Huntzberger Media several years back. So, it makes sense that he would be at a large conference of this time.

After several moments of silence, Rory was starting to become uncomfortable and wanted to be anywhere but where she was. But, she also wanted to stay around Logan. It was the first time they had been around each other since her graduation and she wanted to savor it. It seemed that he did as well. She was just trying to work up the courage to say something when Logan's mouth snapped shut and he abruptly turned, walking quickly away.

Rory stared after him in disbelief. She hadn't imagined that being a part of whatever reunion they might have. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But she also understood somewhere deep inside her that seeing her again must be even more painful for him. Once he disappeared from view, she finally made it to the coffee table and poured herself a cup. As she sat nearby for easy refills, Rory inhaled her coffee but found she couldn't enjoy it as much as she wanted to. Her mind was preoccupied with Logan and the fact that he was at the same conference she was. Would she see him again? If so, how would it go? Should she consciously avoid him for the rest of the week? Was that even possible.

As she finished her first cup, she glumly stared at the bottom of her cup. The week that she was so looking forward to wasn't quite as bright.


	2. Chapter 1

The rest of the day after literally bumping into Logan was long and stressful. She was so worried she would run into him again that she found she couldn't fully enjoy her chosen sessions for the day. By the time she made it back to her room, she was even more exhausted than she had been that morning. It was still fairly early and she hadn't eaten dinner, but she didn't want to go out. Guess that meant it was room service. After calling in her order, Rory picked up her phone to call her mom and fill her in on what happened earlier. Before she could dial though, she paused. She remembered how much her mother didn't like Logan and how relieved she was when they broke up. She couldn't call her mother. Lane? She was probably busy with the boys. Paris? Even more likely to be busy.

Rory put her phone down without calling anyone and sighed. This is when it would be nice to have other friends that were more like her without major familial obligations and she could just vent to. Sighing, she instead opened her laptop and was determined to bury herself in work for the rest of the evening. She mostly succeeded, only stopping when her food arrived and when she decided to go to bed.

Upon waking the next day, Rory felt better in general. She was still stressed about seeing Logan, but she also decided that she couldn't let the fear of seeing him again keep her from enjoying the conference. New outlook on life acquired, Rory got ready for her day and happily walked down to breakfast. This time, though, she made sure she paid attention to her surroundings to avoid a run in like the day before.

Run in free, Rory got her coffee and inhaled multiple cups while eating before heading to her first session: Impact Blogging Has on Media. She was looking forward to it since she had been considering a blog to catalogue the experiences she couldn't include in her articles. Upon arriving, she saw that she was one of the first and had the pick of the seats in the room. She decided on a front row seat so she could see the speaker and could fully concentrate on what was being said. After sitting, she pulled out her notebook and pens, arranging them neatly in front of her.

As she was pulling her phone out to check her e-mails, Rory heard someone ask her, "This seat taken?"

Looking up, about to answer no, her voice died in her throat when she saw it was Logan. Unable to find her voice, she just shook her head no and watched him sit down. Not wanting him to catch her staring, she turned back to her phone, but couldn't concentrate on opening anything up. Watching from the corner of her eye, she saw him pull out his own portfolio and pen for notes and nonchalantly pull his phone out to do whatever. She envied the ease with which he seemed to be doing everything.

Determined, Rory forced herself to open her e-mail app and respond to a few work e-mails. By the time she replied to the most pressing ones and placed her phone down, she realized Logan was looking at her and she smiled nervously. "So, Rory, how have you been?" Logan asked nonchalantly.

Rory was taken aback. After the way things went yesterday when they bumped into each other, the last thing she expected of him was a seemingly normal conversation. She cleared her throat. "Um, fine. You?"

"I've been good. I've seen some of your work. It's been good."

"Thanks," Rory replied, her voice breaking. She coughed. "I saw where you've rejoined HPG. Congrats."

What ensued could be described as a pleasant conversation. The entire time they chatted before the session, Rory couldn't believe that she was sitting in a conference room chatting with Logan again as if nothing had happened between the two of them. Their conversation ceased only because the speaker arrived and started the session.

With Logan beside her, Rory found it difficult to concentrate on the session, but she somehow pushed through, though she didn't know how. At the end, as she gathered her things together, she heard Logan clear his throat. She glanced up at him and he looked nervous. "So, what session are you heading to next?"

"The Digital Phenomenon. You?"

"I'm heading to that one too. I have a break after and planned to get some coffee. Want to join me?"

Rory thought for a few moments. She planned to go to another session after, but going to get coffee with Logan sounded much more appealing. After only a few moments of thought, she agreed and smiled to herself as they walked out of the room to their next session. If she thought the first session was difficult to concentrate with, then it was impossible in the second. All she could think about was going with Logan to get coffee. What would it mean? What did he want to talk about?

Before she realized it, the session was over and Logan was asking her if she had anywhere she wanted to go. Shaking her head no, Logan placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her. Neither said anything as Logan led them into a small coffee shop on the ground floor of the hotel. "You still drink black coffee?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Go on and grab us a seat and I'll go order."

Before Rory could object or try to give him money, Logan was already ordering. Sighing, Rory glanced around and found a small table tucked into a corner of the shop. She made her way to it and sat down, glancing around the place. Though it was small, Rory liked how it looked and she obviously liked the smell. The owner had taken the tiny space and tried to decorate it so it was welcoming with curtains and original artwork on the walls. There were tables scattered throughout and even a small seating area with chairs and couches in front of an electric fireplace. This was just the type of place that Rory would enjoy going to work on an article.

Rory was pulled from her observations with the arrival of Logan. He placed a large cup of coffee in front of her before sitting down with his own cup. They sat in silence for a few minutes as they each sipped their beverage.

Logan sighed. "Why don't we just get it over with?"

Rory's eyes widened with the realization of what Logan was alluding to, but decided to play dumb. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Rory. You know exactly what I mean. We need to clear the air about everything that happened on your graduation day so that we can move on and actually work with each other."

Rory released a breath and nodded. Logan was write. Of course he was. But, Rory was best at running and her instincts were in high gear. She just wanted to get up, walk quickly out and get into her room where she could be alone and not have to look at the face of the man that she still loved with every fiber of her being. "You're right, I'm sorry Logan. Where do you want to start?"

It was Logan's turn to sigh. "Why'd you say no?"

Rory chuckled nervously. "Big guns, huh?"

Logan didn't chuckle and just looked at Rory. "When you said no, Rory, it took me a really long time to come to grips with not having you in my life. You were the first person that I dated and the first person that wasn't Honor that I loved. That I felt that I could spend hours together with. That I thought I could trust. You saying no really messed with me and left me floundering. So, yeah, I'm going to start with the big guns."

Rory's face burned at Logan's response to her joke. She hadn't realized how hard he had it. She thought he had just walked away and that was it. That he wasn't bothered by the entire situation. Obviously she was wrong and now she felt bad for belittling his question. "Well. I can tell you that when I said no it wasn't no to being with you; it was no to being married. When you asked me to marry you, I was just embarking into the world. It was the first time I would be doing something totally alone. I wouldn't have my mother there or my grandparents. You wouldn't even be around at all times. I was going to have to figure out how to be an adult and live in a world without all these people that I was so used to seeing being around."

Rory paused and stared into the liquid in her cup, willing it to allow her to dissolve into it and escape the rest of the conversation. However, it didn't happen and Rory took a deep breath and plunged on. "You said that we'd keep each other in mind, but not base our decisions on the other. But, you never asked me if I was ready to be married. We never talked about it before. Did I think about marrying you? God, yes! I want to marry you with every fiber of my being. But I couldn't do it then. I just envisioned all the doors that might have opened being shut because of who I was."

Logan was silent for several moments. "You thought that you would be limited because of what your last name would become?" he asked in disbelief.

Rory couldn't find her voice and just nodded. "That's bullshit and you know it Rory. Why didn't you talk to me? Why didn't you tell me these things instead of saying that you needed time to think and then ripping my heart out?"

In a small voice, "I didn't know how."

Logan scoffed. "That's right. Because you're perfect Rory Gilmore. You don't have to do the hard things. You have other people to do it for you. So, what? Did your mom tell you that you shouldn't get married? That you're too young? That I was evil because I came from money? Come on, tell me. I'm a big boy."

Rory flinched with each accusation and could feel the tears forming in her eyes. As her vision started to blur, she took a shuddering breath and said, "She didn't tell me anything! She refused to! I came to the decision all on my own!"

They lapsed into silence and Rory used it to get herself pulled back together. She felt raw, like every emotion she had ever felt was pulled to the surface and exposed for the entire world to see. It was Rory who broke the silence this time. "I'm sorry I hurt you so badly by saying no. There was a large part of me that wanted to say yes, to be with you and get married right away. But, there was also a part of me that knew I needed to make my way in the world on my own before I allowed myself to be tied to anyone. It wasn't fair to me and it certainly wouldn't have been fair to you. I'll forever be sorry about saying no and I regret that decision more than you'll know. I'll make sure that I stay out of your way for the rest of the conference."

Rory shakily stood and moved to walk away, but Logan reached out to stop her. She looked down at him and saw the same pain she was feeling reflected in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Rory. I came up with some many scenarios over the years that finally hearing the truth hurt. Please sit down?"

Rory thought about it for a few moments before moving back to her seat. "I think we should both agree that we're feeling a little raw from this entire experience."

Logan nodded, saying, "What do you say we just table the topic for now and try to move on to more pleasant ones?"

Rory nodded and they lapsed into a pleasant conversation. They were so wrapped up in it, that they didn't even notice the passing of time or that they missed their final sessions for the day. They only realized how late it had grown when the baristas started closing the shop down at 6.

"Oh my God! Logan! We missed the rest of the day!"

Logan laughed. "I think that what we spent the afternoon was much more enjoyable and vastly more satisfying than sitting in any of those seminars."

"Logan, that's not the point! I can't believe that I didn't realize so much time had passed," Rory exclaimed in frustration.

"Relax, Ace. You still have tomorrow. Come on, why don't we go grab some dinner and make the most of our vast amounts of free time?"

Rory started a bit at her old nickname. She hadn't heard it in so long. It made her heart swell to hear it again. "I think I can spare the time."

Logan smiled at her and Rory felt her heart flutter. It had been a while since she had seen that also. Logan led them out of the coffee shop and towards one of the hotels many in building restaurants. "So, what do you think? Want something fancy? Something low key? All you can eat? You have find all of it here."

Rory bit her lip and pretended to think. "Why don't we go for all you can eat? I think I feel rather hungry this evening."

Logan laughed. "Of course, how could I forget? You Gilmore girls require constant food to stay functioning as well as coffee. Well, I think the buffet here offers plenty to choose from. Shall we?"

"We shall."

They grinned at each other as they made their way to their chosen restaurant. What followed was, in Rory's opinion, some of the best hours of her recent life. It was like no time had passed. Logan filled her in on the antics of Colin and Finn and some of the shenanigans they had all gotten into together at official LDB events. Rory told Logan about Stars Hollow and some of the more interesting aspects of traveling the world for a story.

Again, several hours passed and they found themselves being run out of the place as the workers started to close it down. "You know, I'm reminded of when we would go to Rich Man's Shoe and they would run us out of the place," Logan said as they walked to the elevator bank.

Rory laughed. "I know! Every night, without fail, the three of you would be thrown out and forced to weave your drunken path back to your room. I wonder how you ever survived?"

"No idea Ace, no idea."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, allowing them to step in. "What floor?" he asked.

"Eight," she replied.

Logan pushed the number and they lapsed into silence. Rory wasn't sure why, but she felt nervous. Was it because the night was coming to an end? Or for some other reason? Before she could ponder it further, the elevator stopped and the doors opened, indicating they were at the eighth floor.

"Well, this is me," she told him sheepishly as she stepped out.

"I'll walk you to your door, Ace."

Rory smiled and looked away. She they quietly walked down the hall, she pulled her key card out and prepared to say goodbye. When they reached her door, she turned to face Logan, opening her mouth to thank him. But, he silenced her with a kiss. Rory was surprised, very surprised. But, she didn't let that stop her from kissing him with just as much fervor as he did her.

After several moments, they broke apart, panting. "Well," she breathily said, "not exactly how I envisioned my evening ending."

"Me either," Logan agreed, "but I can't say that I don't like it."

Rory nodded and pulled him in for another spine tingling kiss. When they pulled apart this time, Rory asked, "So, do you think you can still open a door while making out with me?"

Logan smirked. "Only one way to find out."

Rory laughed and leaned back in to kiss Logan. Kissing him was definitely like coming home and it seemed to be the same for him. She could feel him fumbling with her keycard and heard the beep as it unlocked. She leaned back and smiled. "I see you haven't lost your touch at all," she told him.

Logan just shrugged. They made their way into her room. Before Rory could move further in to the room to turn on lights, she found her back against the door and Logan pressed against her front. She gasped from the move, which was cut off by Logan's mouth sealing back over hers. She threaded her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

She felt Logan's hands wandering her body, first on her back and then down her sides to her legs, where he picked her up and wrapped them around his waist. Once secure, he walked them towards the bed. He gently placed her on it and flicked the lamp on. In the light, they stared at each other, soaking it in. Rory was remembering the last time they were together, right before her graduation and how amazing it had been. How loving Logan had been with her and how ready she had felt for the next part of their lives.

Rory gave herself a mental shake. So not the time to get caught up in the past when the present was staring at her. Rory decided to take the initiative and sat up, pulling Logan to her for a kiss. While they kissed, she started to unbutton his shirt, exposing his chest to her. Once it was open, she broke their kiss and started to press open mouthed ones down his chest. She heard Logan's breath speed up before she was abruptly pulled up and into a searing kiss.

AN: We're getting ever closer to finding out what the deal is here. And, you'll also find out what the secret is as well. Are you ready for it?

Things quickly progressed from there. She was eager to feel Logan all over and quickly made work of his clothes. He did the same. Before she knew it, she was on her back and he was entering her. They both groaned at the sensation. Logan didn't move in her at first, just held himself still as he panted.

Rory started to get impatient and rolled her hips, making Logan groan once again. It also spurred him on and he set a punishing pace, one that she happily matched. They were frenzied. Each was kissing whatever they could and breaking away to loudly moan whenever they needed to breath.

Before she knew it, Rory was falling over the edge and Logan followed soon after. They collapsed next to each other. Rory stared at the ceiling and tried to get her breathing in order. She hadn't felt like this since, well, since she and Logan had been together last. That's one thing she could say about her time with him. Their sex was never bad.

She watched as Logan got up and went into the bathroom. She heard water run and the toilet flush. That's all she remembered though as she was asleep by the time Logan made it back to the bed and joined her.


	3. Chapter 2

AN: And, here we are. You'll finally discover what the secret is. In the next chapter, I'll go into a bit of detail on the origin of the story before the actual text of the chapter to help with understanding. I hope you enjoy! Was it what you thought?

The next morning, Rory awoke with a smile on her face. Feeling the presence next to her, she knew that she wasn't dreaming about last night's escapades with Logan. Unfortunately, she also didn't really know what it meant. It was obvious that they still had amazing chemistry and obvious feelings for each other. Unfortunately, it wasn't like they actually discussed anything about it before falling in bed together. That was a problem for Rory. They tried the no strings relationship before and that didn't work on a multitude of levels because she was a girlfriend girl. She knew for a fact that she didn't want to go back to being that way, at least not at this point.

While she lay there, mind going a million miles a minute, she noticed Logan open his eyes. She found herself holding her breath as she waited for him to look at her. Like she hoped, he smiled at her and she released it. He stretched and pulled her closer and they lay there in silence. Rory could feel her face heating up from happiness and didn't want the moment to end. But, glancing at the clock, she realized that it had to as they each needed to get ready for the days sessions. Sighing, she pulled back and rolled out of bed, grabbing her underwear off the floor and slipping them on.

Hearing rustling behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to see Logan going about getting ready also. As they each got dressed, Rory snuck glances at Logan, drinking in the sight of him after so many years of deprivation. She hears Logan clear his throat and turns to look at him. She watches as he walks around the bed and comes to stand in front of her. They look at each other before Logan leans in to place a soft kiss on her lips. As he draws back, he swipes his thumb over her lips and smiles at her, seemingly in a sad manner. Then, he leaves.

Rory stood in the middle of her hotel room for quite a while after Logan left, thinking over the previous night and what it could mean. Glancing at the clock again, Rory kicked her routine into high gear so she would be ready for her first session of the day. Throughout her day, Rory found herself looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of Logan. But, she wasn't lucky enough for that. Because of it, she found herself lingering on if the night before and worrying she was reading too much into it.

By the time her sessions were done, she had notes, but couldn't actually tell you anything about the things that were discussed. She sighed internally, realizing that Logan in her life again was definitely throwing a wrench into things. Before heading up to her room for the evening, she decided to have a drink in the hotel's bar to see if it would help relax her some before she was truly alone and alone with her thoughts.

Upon entering the bar, she did a quick scan to make sure she didn't see Logan in there. Not seeing him, she settled at the bar and ordered a shot of tequila and a martini. Once they were placed in front of her, she immediately downed the tequila and chased with the martini, shivering as the alcohol hit her system.

Sighing, Rory sat back and sipped her martini. Falling into bed with Logan was obviously a mistake. A one night stand was obviously not the way to go and she couldn't believe she let herself be deluded into thinking it would be anything more.

She was staring so intently into her martini, that she didn't realize someone had slid onto the stool next to her until they spoke. "This seat taken?"

Startled, she glanced up and met Logan's eyes. "No," she stated, trying to hide her surprise at seeing him. She hadn't seen him all day, so she was shocked to find him suddenly next to her.

Logan smiled and turned from her, quickly ordering a scotch from the bartender. "How were your sessions?" he asked once his drink was in front of him.

Rory couldn't figure out how to form words. How were her sessions? That's what he chose to ask her? Of all the things that might have crossed her mind, she didn't fathom that it would be something like that. Realizing that she was taking too long to answer, she stutters out some answer about them being good and clams back up.

Logan smirks at her and she feels herself frown. She feels like she's back at Yale and unsure of how to act around him or respond to him. It's a feeling that she's not used to and, if she were honest with herself, one that she misses. Logan is one of the only guys that she's ever felt totally unsure around because he constantly kept her on her toes and challenged her.

They sit in companionable silence for a few minutes and Rory can feel herself becoming tuned to Logan. She's aware of the rustle of his clothing, the sound of his breaths, the tinkling of the ice cubes in his glass. On impulse, Rory downs her martini, setting her empty glass on the bar. "Want to go up to my room?" she asks him.

Logan stares at her for a moment in silence. He quickly downs his scotch and grabs her hand, pulling her towards the elevator. While they wait for it to arrive, Logan jiggles the change in his pocket and Rory concentrates on what's going on around them. Anything to keep her mind off of what was sure to happen once they got upstairs.

The elevator dinged and they moved to the side to allow its occupants the chance to get off. After boarding, they didn't look at each other much. Rory was incredibly nervous, worried that this might be a mistake and that she and Logan were falling into horrible habits again. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize they'd arrived at her floor until Logan put his hand on the small of her back.

She looked at him and smiled. She decided that it didn't matter if it was a good decision or not. She was just going to enjoy the moment, no matter what happens. They walked quickly down the hall and opened her door just as quickly. Once inside, they were on each other, kissing feverishly and trying to get their clothes off.

They tumbled onto her bed while still trying to get all their clothes off. Eventually, Rory got so frustrated she decided to just pull Logan out of his pants, move her underwear to the side, and guide him inside her. They both stilled once he was fully inside, panting while they adjusted. Logan started to slowly move and it was a tease to her. Rory pushed on Logan's shoulder, pushing him on his back. He looked at her, surprised, and she just smiled at him.

She guided him back inside her and started to rise and fall. Logan's head fell back and his eyes squeezed shut.

"Jesus, Rory," he groaned.

Rory used that as encouragement and started to rock back and forth every so often. Doing that definitely put her closer to the edge and she could feel herself becoming wetter. She felt Logan place his hands on her hips, guiding her as her moves became more erratic. He reached up and tweaked her nipples, pushing her over the edge. Once she rode out her orgasm, Logan rolled them over and sat back on his knees. Rory watched as he repositioned her legs over his arms and then groaned when he started thrusting. Even though she just came, she could tell that she was getting close again.

Logan reached down to play with her clit and said, "Come on, Rory. I can tell you're close. Give me one more."

After a few more seconds, Rory's world shattered again and Logan followed quickly after based on his ensuing moan.

Logan pulled out and collapsed next to her. They both lay there, panting. Rory's mind was completely blank. She could barely remember that her name was Rory at this point. After several minutes, their breathing calmed and Rory found herself getting nervous again. Would it be like the night before and they just fell asleep, not talking about anything? Was this it?

Almost like he could sense it, Logan looked at her and asked, "What's going through your mind, Ace?"

Rory blushed, asking, "Am I that obvious?"

Logan laughed. "A little. Remember, we were together for a while. It might have been a few years, but I definitely remember a lot of things from that time. One of them is your tells when you're overthinking. So, what are you thinking about?"

Rory sighed and was a silent for a few moments. She didn't really want to have the conversation, but, at the same time, she knew that she couldn't avoid it. Logan would probably leave in a huff and still force it tomorrow.

"I'm just, I don't know!" she cried. "I've loved being with you the last two nights. Seeing you again, talking to you again, making love to you again, is everything that I hoped for. But, I also can't help but feel like this is just a brief interlude before we're apart again. It's inevitable."

Rory bit her lip and glanced over at Logan. She couldn't tell what he was thinking and that made her nervous.

"I understand that you're scared, Rory," he started, "but I don't think you have need to be."

Rory scoffed. "I don't need to be scared? We just met up after how many years? And fell right into bed! For all I know, you're married with 10 children and I'm just one in a long line of trysts!"

Rory could feel herself getting worked up and sat up, starting to put her clothes back in order.

"Rory."

She paused, but didn't look at Logan.

"Look at me."

Rory sighed and looked over her shoulder at him. "I understand you're worried and freaked out. But really, it'll be fine. To help you relax, I'll tell you about me. I'm not married, not even close at this point. I haven't really dated anyone seriously since we broke up. And, as far as I know, I don't have any kids running around. Yes, I do work in London and it looks like you're traveling everywhere with work, but what does that matter? We're having fun and it doesn't have to end."

Rory bit her lip, secretly happy to hear he hadn't been with anyone seriously since they parted. "Logan, we are having fun. But what about tomorrow? What about when we're not here anymore? I don't know that I can go through losing you again. I don't know how I did it before to be honest."

They were both silent for a few moments before Logan broke the silence. "Ok, then. We won't."

"Won't what Logan?"

"We won't lose each other this time."

Rory sighed. Did he just not get it? "Logan, you yourself just said you're in London and I'm traveling the world. I'm not sure how that equates to being together."

"Easy. Marry me."


	4. Chapter 3

Here we are! I was going to try and set a schedule for posting updates, but I've just decided to post as I finish writing things. Everything is outlined out, it's just a matter of getting it all written out.

So, for background. This came to me a few weeks after watching the Revival. I thought it would be interesting to explore the idea of the Revival with an added layer: a secret marriage. To now and through this chapter, it's what comes before the Revival. After this one, we'll do a time jump to after the revival and the revelation of the pregnancy and marriage.

Please let me know what you think!

Rory stared at Logan. "You cannot be serious."

"As a heart attack," he told her. "Just hear me out, okay?"

Rory's heart sped up. She honestly couldn't believe that he was proposing this to her, especially after all these years. But, there was also a part of her that was quite excited that he still wanted to marry her all these years later.

"It's obvious that we still have quite a bit of chemistry between the two of us. And I think we both still have feelings for each other, am I right?"

Rory nodded and Logan continued. "Why shouldn't we get married? I was so stupid all those years ago when I made you go all or nothing. I should have understood you weren't ready. And, you might not be now. But that doesn't mean that I'm not willing to fight for you. I want to be with you and only you, Rory. If we get married, we don't have to worry about all that other stuff. We can just be married."

Logan paused and looked at her, waiting for her response. After a few minutes of silence, she said, "But, Logan, I still don't see how that will work. And your family! Oh my gosh, what would your dad say? I don't think it's a good idea."

Logan sighed. "I agree with you there. It won't be easy. But, I think we can do it. I mean, you were there through the botched business deal and were ready to support me when I broke free of my father. How is that any different from this?"

It was Rory's turn to sigh. "Logan, I would love to marry you. I wanted to marry you back then. But, I just don't see how that would work. I would be expected to stop working or I would get jobs simply because of the fact that we're married. I don't know if I can live with either of those options."

"Then don't."

"Logan! Be serious!"

"I am! We can get married, but what if we don't tell anyone? Just do it for ourselves. Then, you don't have to worry about not having steady work and I can just go on with my life. It takes away all the power that my father holds over me and he won't even know it. We can get married here and, when we're ready, we can go public with it."

"A secret marriage? That's your solution?"

"Rory, come on. Think about it, seriously think about it. Tell me that it doesn't make sense. We want to be together. We won't be able to just date because once our families catch wind, we'll never hear the end of it. Your grandparents will go crazy trying to plan a wedding, your mother will go crazy probably trying to break us up, and my father will do anything to make sure nothing comes from it. If we get married, we don't have to tell them. I have my own lawyers who can help handle all the paperwork and make it so my dad and no one else will be privy to it. It can totally work."

Logan was silent again, allowing Rory to think about it some more. It was definitely a crazy idea. Having a secret marriage? It's right out of a book! But, it could also work. That's what made it so crazy.

"Yes."

"What was that?" Logan asked her with excitement in his voice.

"I said yes!"

Logan laughed and pulled her to him, kissing her squarely on the mouth. "You have no idea how happy you've made me, Ace."

"I think I have a pretty good idea mister," she told him with a smile. "If w'ere going to do this, though, we need to find out where we can get married. And when. Oh, and what's the process?"

"Rory, slow down. We'll figure it out. Where's your laptop? We can do some research now to figure out what we need to do. Then, we can look at our schedules and see if it'll work."

Rory grabbed her laptop and brought it back to the bed. Pulling up the search engine, she and Logan spent the next several hours researching how to get married in Europe. They thought about just going to Vegas to do it, but both decided the likelihood of paparazzi catching them was too likely. Logan was too well known now for someone to not recognize him and then figure out who she was. With that in mind though, they were able to discover that Denmark is considered the Vegas of Europe. They would just have to show up and petition for a marriage license and they could get married the next day.

However, when they looked at their schedules, they realized they had a slight conflict. "Logan, I have some meetings I need to be at in New York once this conference finishes. I can't put them off."

"Same here, Ace. I have some meeting in London next week that I can't miss because of a proposed merger. What about the next week?"

Rory flipped ahead. "That should be good. I'm between stories and can easily make my way over here for us to get married. I still can't believe we're going to do it."

Logan smiled at her. "Same here."

"I do have a question for you, Logan, about getting married."

Rory bit her lip, unsure of how to approach the question. "I know you said to keep this a secret, but do you think we could tell my grandparents? They've always liked you and I think they would like to be able to help and possibly be there? They could be our witnesses?"

Logan looked at her and was silent for a few moments. "Are you sure, Ace? What about your mom? Won't she be mad when she finds out?"

Rory sighed. "Yeah, she probably will be. But she can't keep a secret to save her life. I just don't see her being able to stay quiet about our marriage and I don't think she would approve. I'd rather tell my grand parents because they'll be happy so long as we're happy."

Logan was silent again. "If you think they'll go along with it, then I don't see why we can't include them. It would definitely be nice to have someone in our corner for when the time comes."

Rory smiled. "Thank you so much! Is there anyone in your family you think we should tell?"

"I would like to tell Honor, but I honestly don't think she'll be able to keep it a secret. The first chance she got to throw it out there, I think she would."

Rory nodded, understanding since she had just said the same thing about her mother.

"So, it looks like we're getting married in two weeks? In Denmark?"

"It certainly does."

Rory smiled. "I can't wait! I wish we could get married sooner."

"Me too, Ace. But, just think, this means we can plan it out a bit more and make sure it's the best day ever."

"I think I like that idea."

After that, they were silent as they moved on to other ways to show their affection for each other. This time, they were slow in exploring each other's bodies, though just as tired at the end.

—

Two days later, Rory found herself outside her grandparents mansion in Hartford, Connecticut. While they were expecting her, they had no idea why she was stopping by. She just told them she wanted to see them because she missed them the last few weeks. So, her grandmother invited her over for dinner for just the three of them. But, now that she was here, she was incredibly nervous. She couldn't bring herself to ring the bell, though she knew she needed to otherwise her grandmother would come to the door before she had the chance, thus starting the night off on a bad foot.

Sighing, Rory reached forward and pressed the button. She heard the bells ring throughout the house and the sound of footsteps approaching. The door opened to reveal her grandmother, who broke into a smile when she saw her. "Rory!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you called to see about coming to see us. Your grandfather and I have missed seeing you recently. Come in, come in!"

Once inside, they embraced. "Thank you for having me, Grandma. I've missed the two of your also."

Rory put her coat on the tree in the hall and followed her grandmother into the sitting room. "Rory!" her grandfather exclaimed when he saw her. "I'm so glad to see you!"

She walked over to where he was and hugged him. "Same here, Grandpa. How are the two of you?"

They settled into chitchat while they waited for dinner to be ready. As they talked, Rory found herself relaxing and not worrying too much about the coming conversation about her and Logan's impending nuptials. Once they moved into the dining room and the salad was served, her grandmother looked at her. "Now, you were in Germany last week, right?"

Rory nodded. "Yes, I was in Hamburg for a Newspaper and Writing Conference."

"Did you network and learn anything while you were there?" her grandfather asked.

Rory nodded again, telling them, "I did. It was really interesting to see so many people in the same profession as me in one place. It was awesome to hear some of their stories of places they've been and stories they've covered. It gives me something to work towards as I continue in my career."

"That's good. You never want to let yourself get too bogged down by the same thing every day when you're working. You want to constantly be striving to go the extra mile and be excited about the prospects that may come."

"I am pretty excited."

They lapsed into silence and Rory figured it was now or never. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something that happened while I was at the conference."

"Oh, really? What is it dear?" her grandmother asked.

Rory coughed, nervous again. "Well, I saw Logan while I was there."

"You did?" her grandmother asked, smirking.

"I did. We reconnected, you could say."

"Does this mean the two of you are together again?" her grandmother asked.

"You could say that," Rory started. "What I'm about to tell you is in the strictest confidence. You are the only two that I'm talking to about this. I'm not even telling Mom."

"Rory, is everything okay?" her grandfather asked, looking concerned.

"Yes, everything is perfect. Logan has asked me to marry him again and I've accepted."

Her grandparents gaped at her. "You're marrying a Huntzberger?!" her grandmother exclaimed.

Rory nodded. "Rory, this is wonderful news! But, why aren't you telling anyone?"

Rory nervously laughed. "This is where it gets complicated."

She proceeded to lay out everything that she and Logan discussed from their families not agreeing to possibly issues with her working. At the end of it, she looked at them and said, "I'm telling you because we want you both to attend our wedding if possible and serve as our witnesses. We know that you both want what's best for us and love us unconditionally. And we want to be surrounded by that on our wedding day."

"Rory, I just don't know what to say," her grandfather said, getting a little choked up. "It means a lot to me and your grandmother that you want us to be there for you. But, are you certain you don't want to tell your mother?"

"I am," she assured them. "I don't see her being able to keep her mouth shut about it and it would just cause more issues."

"Then why not just get married and announce it after the fact?" her grandmother queried.

"We thought about doing that also, but we still foresee issues coming from his family over the marriage. We think his dad will try to have us annul it or find other ways to make our lives difficult."

"I agree with you there, Rory. Mitchum won't take your marrying his heir lightly. No matter when it comes out."

"So, will you? Will you go to Denmark with us and be our witnesses?"

Her grandparents looked at each other. "Rory, we would love to!" her grandmother stated.

"Thank you, both of you. I am so thankful to have each of you in my life and I'm so glad you'll be able to be there."

"Rory, it's us that should be thanking you. You're giving us the opportunity to see our only grandchild get married. I don't think we could ask for anything better."

Rory smiled at each of them, so incredibly happy that she didn't know what to do with herself.

"I do have a question for you, Rory," her grandmother said.

"What is it?"

"What are you going to do about a dress?"

Rory's eyes widened. "Oh, I hadn't even thought about that. I thought I'd just see what I already had and wear it."

Her grandmother gasped. "Rory! That is not happening! Even if you are getting married quickly, I will make sure you have a wonderful dress to get married in. I must call Miss Celine immediately and have her bring dresses by tomorrow. You are staying the night, right?"

Rory just nodded, able to tell that she wouldn't be able to talk her grandmother out of it. "Have you lined up a photographer over there? You'll want pictures as well. What about a small reception or dinner for after?"

"Oh, Logan and I hadn't gotten that far yet. I figured we'd just go back to our hotel for a small dinner."

"Nonsense! You only get married once, Rory. And we're going to do it right. You get that Logan on the phone while I call Celine. The three of us are going to hammer out some details tonight. This might be a small wedding with just us, but damnit, it's going to be the prettiest quickie wedding you've ever seen!"

With that, Emily threw her napkin down and walked off to her study, Richard and Rory staring after her.

"Rory," her grandfather said.

She looked at him. "Thank you, truly, for allowing us to be a part of your day. You don't know how much it means to us that you want us there. And, thank you for allowing her the opportunity to be a part of it with planning."

Rory reached over and placed her hand on his. "Grandpa, I can't think of anyone else I would want to be there besides you and her. You've done so much for me over the years by paying for school and supporting me even when I didn't want that support. You deserve to be there."

He smiled at her. In the distance, she heard, "Rory! What colors do you want?"

She looked back at her grandfather, who smiled. "Do you want a drink before you go deal with her?"

"Yes, please," she responded, laughing.


	5. Chapter 4

Before she knew it, Rory was sitting in a hotel room with her grandmother going over last minute details of her and Logan's impromptu wedding. Even though she'd only had a few weeks, days really, Rory and her grandmother were able to pull everything together. And, she only had to fight her a few different times about various things.

In the end, Rory was able to buy a dress, even if it was off the rack and Emily about had a heart attack at the realization they couldn't order something custom from a famous designer. While she wasn't happy with the idea, she came around when Rory walked out in the perfect dress to get married in. It was an A-line, sheath style dress with a sweetheart neckline. There was also a sheer lace overlay that was covered in pearls that covered the bodice, the open back, and covered her arms.

When she stepped out of the dressing room, Emily was breathless and Rory wasn't much better. They both knew immediately that it was the dress for her. And, it was in her size already with only minor alterations needing to be made. They then decided that a veil wasn't the way to go and settled on a hair piece that had matching details to her dress on it. Because of that choice, Rory also was able to decide on her hairstyle: a low bun on her right side. The plus of that was she would be able to most likely do her hair herself.

However, upon mentioning that to Emily, she was quickly vetoed and, ten minutes later, Rory was informed that her grandmother made an appointment with a hairdresser near their hotel in Denmark that would handle her wedding hair and her wedding make-up by coming to their suite. Rory thanked her grandmother even if she thought it was an unnecessary expense.

From there, things fell into place. Richard, Emily, Rory, and Logan were able to get two suites booked at a Hilton very close to the botanical garden at Copenhagen University. Even though it was short notice, Logan happened to know one of the deans there and was able to pull some strings to allow them to have a ceremony inside. From the pictures, Rory knew that it would be a wonderful ceremony.

Shaking herself, Rory brought herself back to the present. The hairdresser had just finished her hair and make-up and Rory was trying to look pleasant since there was a photographer in the room, also a find by Emily. While she was grateful to everything Emily and Richard had done to help them, she was also overwhelmed. But, she didn't put up too much of a fight. While she might not have thought about having some of the things Emily did, Rory had to admit that the little things Emily included with the hairdresser and photographer were appreciated because they meant she wasn't as stressed about everything as she might have been otherwise.

"Rory, are you ready to get dressed?" her grandmother asked.

Rory looked back over her shoulder at her grandmother and saw her standing there with the dress bag in her hand.

She nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be," she said while smiling and standing to walk over to her grandmother.

Emily grinned at her. "I absolutely cannot wait to see how you look in this dress!"

Together, they slowly slid the zipper of the bag down and pulled the dress itself out. Equally as careful, Emily pulled the dress out of the bag and prepared it for Rory to step into. Using her grandma for support, Rory carefully stepped into the dress and slipped the robe she was wearing off while Emily helped her get her arms through the sleeves without bunching or ripping the overlay.

Once on, Emily used a button hook to get the buttons on the back of the dress put together fully. Once finished, Emily stepped back and Rory could tell that Emily was trying to stifle sniffles. She turned to look at Emily and saw the tears gathering in her eyes. "Grandma, are you okay?" she asked, worried something was wrong.

Emily shook her head no. "No, everything is perfect Rory. I'm just so incredibly happy to be here for you today and that you included me."

Rory could feel some tear gathering in her eyes at her grandmother's declaration. "Grandma, I can't think of anyone else that I want to be here."

While the words were true, Rory couldn't help but also wish that her mother was at the wedding as well. Having her mother at her wedding was something that Rory always assumed would happen. It had never entered her mind that her mother wouldn't be with her because Rory wasn't sure she could trust her. And that's really the reason she hadn't been invited. Rory knew that if given the chance, her mother would blab everything to the world at the first chance.

"Well," Emily said, "let's get your wrap and shoes on so we can get downstairs. We don't want to be late!"

Rory grinned and moved to where her shoes were. She carefully placed her shoes on her feet and allowed Emily to drape a wrap over her shoulders. She waited for her grandmother to get her coat and purse and they made their way to the elevator. While walking through the lobby, Rory could feel eyes on her and she felt herself blushing at the scrutiny. She was a little worried about people taking photos, but decided she would cross that bridge when the time came. If someone took a photo, she could always claim that she was roped into doing a photo shoot while in Denmark.

She and Emily settled into the waiting limo and Rory looked out the window while trying to cull the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Before she realized it, the limo was stopped outside the gardens and Rory saw Richard standing outside waiting for them. He walked up to the car and opened the door for Rory, helping her out. His breath caught in his throat at the site of Rory in her dress.

"Rory.." He gasped, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone more beautiful than you are at this moment."

Rory smiled and tried to control the tears she could feel forming her eyes at her grandfather's words. "Even more beautiful than Grandma on your wedding day?"

Richard chuckled. "For the sake of you and me, I will say yes."

Rory giggled and took her grandfather's proffered arm. They walked up the steps slowly and made their way inside. Once through the doors, a docent was waiting to take Rory and Emily's wraps from them. Once handed off, Emily went through to the Palm Room to wait with Logan. After a few moments passed, Rory could hear Canon in D playing on the in house music system.

She grinned at her grandfather who was looking at her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"In Omnia Paratus," she responded.

They slowly made their way through the glass doors and followed the meandering path to the center of the room. After rounding a few bends, Rory got her first glimpse of Logan and he of her. She grinned when she saw the look on Logan's face. It was everything she could have hoped for. It honestly looked like he couldn't catch his breath. By the time she and Richard reached him, he managed to gather his wits a bit better and was grinning from ear to ear. Upon reaching Logan and the officiant, Rory and Logan couldn't keep their eyes off each other.

She was so consumed by looking at him and happiness, she missed the start of the ceremony and it was just her and Logan. What felt like moments later, Rory and Logan were sharing the first kiss of their married lives. After parting, they both broke into wide grins. They turned to face Richard and Emily and cheered when the officiant introduced them.

They went forward and exchanged hugs with everyone. The photographer quickly gathered them and got some formal and informal shots of all of them and just Rory and Logan. Thirty minutes later, everyone was gathering their coats and wraps and getting into the limo to go to the restaurant they chose for the reception: Restaurant Geranium.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of laughs and toasts between the four of them. After the dessert was served, Richard and Emily made their excuses and left Rory and Logan alone at the table. They smiled at each other.

"Well, Mrs. Huntzberger, how are you feeling?" Logan asked, smiling at her.

"I am feeling fabulous, Mr. Huntzberger."

They smiled at each other and lightly kissed on the lips.

"What do you say we blow this joint?" Logan asked her.

"Well, all I have to say is: In Omnia Paratus!"

They laughed and gathered their things. They quickly made their way through the restaurant to the waiting car which whisked them back to their hotel. Now that they were married, they were booked into the honeymoon suite. Upon arrival, their bags had already been moved to their new room and unpacked.

Once they were in the room, Logan and Rory faced each other. "So, Mr. Huntzberger, how do you want to spend the next few hours?" Rory asked, coyly.

"Well, I'm sure we'll think of something," he responded.

Rory raised her eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what would that be?"

Logan beckoned to her and said, "Why don't you come over here and find out?"

She stepped closer and Logan pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately. Upon parting, he turned her around and laughed. "Really, you couldn't get a dress with a zipper?"

Rory laughed as well. "You know me, I have to make life difficult."

"I'll say," he told her as he started to undo them.

Once they were undone, he helped her step out of her dress and place it on a hanger so it wouldn't get wrinkled. He then quickly shed his suit and shirt, leaving them both in just their underwear. He pulled her back to him and kissed her lightly.

"Have I told you how happy I am to be married to you?" he asked.

"Not recently."

"Well, I am incandescently happy to be married to you."

Rory smiled and pulled him into another kiss, this one more passionate than the last one. When he tried to pull back, she just followed his head and traced his lips, asking for entrance. He opened his mouth and their tongues started to tangle with each other. Rory ran her hands over Logan's torso and brushed her fingers over the front of his boxers, feeling evidence of his arousal.

She lightly teased him and smiled to herself hearing him groan. Using that to spur her on, she traced the waistband of his boxers before plunging her fingers inside to fully grasp him. She was only able to get a few strokes in before Logan pulled her hand away and pushed her towards the bed. When her legs hit the bed, Logan steadied her and started to remove her undergarments. He made quick work of her strapless bra, underwear, tights, and shoes. Once she was naked, Logan removed his boxers and pushed her back onto the bed.

He resisted when Rory tried to pull him towards her. Before she could make a sound, Logan pushed her back onto the bed and spread her legs. She watched as he lowered himself and buried his face between her legs. She gasped at the feel of Logan's tongue there and shuddered at what he was doing to her. She was always hyper sensitive to anything below the belt and could tell that it wouldn't take much more to push her over the edge.

Logan must have been able to tell also because he pushed one, then two fingers into her and curled them, hitting just the right spot inside her that made her quickly push over the edge into her first orgasm. Once she finished shuddering, Rory's limbs felt like jello. Logan crawled his way up her body and kissed her, allowing her to taste herself on his lips and tongue. As they kissed, Logan pushed inside her.

Rory gasped at the feel. So close to her previous orgasm and Rory felt like she could feel every inch of Logan inside her as he started to thrust in and out. What started out as somewhat slow love making soon turned into rabid animal sex. Logan was quickly and powerfully thrusting and Rory was meeting him thrust for thrust. Because of their furious pace, Rory quickly found herself in her second orgasm and Logan followed soon after.

He pulled out and collapsed next to Rory on the bed. They lay there, panting for several minutes.

"Well, that's a way to start off married life," Rory quipped once she gathered herself back together.

Logan laughed and pulled her to him. "Well, if that's any indication of what our life will be like, then I certainly can't wait."


	6. Chapter 5

After the thrill of the wedding, Rory followed Logan to London for what would serve as their honeymoon until they were able to get away together. Because they kept it so quiet, Logan couldn't take extended time off without raising his father's suspicions of what he was up to. So, they decided to stay local. Logan went to work each day, but made a point to go in early to try and leave early.

While it wasn't what either of them wanted, they decided to make the most of it. Rory attempted to do some writing and hunt down leads while Logan was at work and, once he got home, they tried to go out and enjoy being first married. Even if it wasn't what they initially imagined, it was still perfect. They were able to make love and try to figure out their lives. While the conversations weren't easy, Rory was glad that they were being so open about the difficulties they faced in the coming months or even years until they announced it to the world.

The biggest issues they faced was the problem that Mitchum would face with his dynastic plan for Logan. Rory was aware that there was a plan, but she wasn't aware that Logan had already been pushed into it.

Logan sighed. "I hate that we have to have this conversation," he told her as he sipped his scotch.

Rory placed her hand on his thigh, reassuring him, "It's okay. We need to make sure we're on the same page. What comes after I leave is going to be the worst part of everything."

Logan nodded. "I know you're aware that my family has always had a plan for me as far as my getting married and producing 'heirs.' What I haven't told you yet is that my dad has already entered into a verbal agreement with someone about my marrying their daughter."

Rory stared at him, not quite believing what she was hearing. "You mean an arranged marriage?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

Logan nodded again. "Yeah. They are some big French family that dad thinks will boost his holdings in Europe if 'our families combine,'" he elaborates, emphasizing what Mitchum told him.

They were silent for a few moments and Rory looked at Logan and noticed the discomfort on his face. "What else?"

Logan sighed. "They've already introduced me to their daughter, Odette, and have forced us to go to several events together."

Rory didn't respond initially. Her younger self would have immediately stormed out of the room, not willing to listen to anything Logan had to say because it wasn't right they weren't being faithful. But, this situation required some finesse to be able to keep the charade up long enough that Mitchum wasn't able to annul their marriage. "So, what does this mean exactly?"

"At the moment, nothing really. Odette and I are just two people that are going along with what our families want. Neither of us is interested in the other and we're only doing it so our families leave us alone. But, down the road, I see it potentially becoming a problem because they are going to force the issue when they deem it appropriate."

Rory nodded that she understood. "So, what are we going to do for now?"

Logan grimaced. "Well, I was thinking we let Odette in on our charade."

Rory's eyes bugged out. "Logan! Why? The more people that know, the more likely we are to be found out!"

It was Logan's turn to offer some comfort to Rory. "I know, Rory. But, if we don't have her on our side, things could get messy. By including her in on it now, she knows there is no obligation here and she might actually be able to help us pull this off."

Their conversation continued back and forth for several minutes with Logan attempting to convince Rory that telling Odette was the right thing to do. Though she didn't like it, Rory finally relented and agreed to tell Odette. Logan's compromise was calling Odette while Rory was still there so all three of them could have the conversation together.

While they sat on the couch together, Logan dialed Odette and put the phone on speaker. He didn't want Rory to think that he was hiding anything about the conversation from her. Rory sat beside him biting her lip while they listened to the phone ring. After three rings, a sexy French voice—in Rory's mind—picked up. "Hello? Logan?"

"Hey Odette," Logan said, "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. How about you, mon cherie?"

Logan chuckled uncomfortably and glanced at Rory. "I'm doing well also. Listen, I called you for a reason."

"Oh? Has your father tried to sink his claws into you again?"

"Not recently. But, what I'm calling you about is similar to that. I want to talk to you about something that is a major secret that I'm keeping from my entire family. I am serious when I saw they cannot find out about what I'm about to tell you."

"Is everything okay Logan?" Odette asked, sounding concerned.

"Everything is perfect. But, I want to make sure you aren't going to completely freak out."

"Logan, what is it? I'm so incredibly worried about what you're about to tell me."

Rory listened and felt the ball loosening in her chest. Listening to their conversation, Rory could tell that they each held affection for the other, but nothing else from what she could tell. It made her feel better about the entire situation of talking to Odette. She tuned back in to hear Odette's reaction to Logan's revelation.

"Logan! Are you serious?! You got married?"

"I am serious. I got married to the best woman in the entire world," he told her while he stared at Rory. He reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss. Rory smiled at him and fell a little bit more in love with him at the act. She listened while Logan explained their unconventional decision. Eventually, Logan told Odette that Rory was with him and introduced them to each other.

Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Odette asked, "This is all wonderful Logan, but I still don't understand why you're telling me and including me in this."

"As you know," Logan started, "my father and your father want the two of us to get married. They've been pushing the plan at us for a while now. As I've stated, we have no intention of going public with this right now because Mitchum would just try to force our hands with an annulment. We want to hold off until we're more solid time wise and we have a chance to get our ducks in a row. That's where you come in. Rory and I have talked about it and we think keeping up appearances between the two of us is the best way to keep Mitchum and others from discovering our deception."

Odette was silent for a moment. Rory was nervous that this would blow up up in their faces and that Odette wouldn't go along with their plan. Then, Odette responded, "Of course I will help you. What can I do?"

From there, Rory was drawn into the conversation and the three of them came up with a plan. For any social engagements, Logan would try to attend alone. If he had to have a date, Odette would go with him. If asked about relationships, they would admit they were seeing someone but keep it vague, even if asked specifically. They would also try to deflect their families off of a more serious commitment. When that commitment was pushed, they would regroup and decide how to go forward. Hopefully that would be a long way off and they would already have a plan for a marriage announcement between Logan and Rory.

By the end of the conversation, Rory felt very confident that they would be able to keep their secret from everyone. It helped her feel more ready to head back to the States the following day. Once Logan hung the phone up, she looked at him. "I think that went well. What do you think?" she asked.

"I think it went well also," he told her. "But, I want to forget about the conversation for right now. I want to concentrate on my gorgeous wife that is leaving for who knows how long tomorrow. I want to savor every moment with her. And every inch of her."

Rory blushed at Logan's words, recognizing the intent behind them. "Don't you think you've already memorized every inch?" she flirted.

"Well," he stated as he pulled her closer, "I think there's a few spots I might have missed in my last attempt at mapping your body. I think I need to look again."

Rory giggled as Logan pulled her in for a kiss. The giggle quickly turned to a moan as Logan started to trail kisses down her neck. Things quickly escalated from there and Rory found herself being carried into Logan's bedroom for a long night of debauchery.

—

The following morning was more difficult than Rory originally thought it would be. She knew that it would be difficult to leave Logan and pretend that nothing had changed with them, but she had to get back to the States so she could get to some meetings about potential articles and follow leads on ones she was already writing. Didn't make it suck any less.

To make matters worse, Logan couldn't go to the airport with her. He had to go to work and they were both too worried about the possibility of people seeing them together this close to their wedding. So they said their goodbyes in his apartment and Rory had to hold it together until she was seated on the plane in first class—Logan insisted—and was able to lay back in the chair.

The entire flight back to the States Rory silently cried and tried to pull herself together because her mother was meeting her at the airport. She would take one look at her and know that something was up. And that absolutely could not happen. It wasn't easy, but by the time they landed, Rory had stopped her tears, washed her face, and hidden the evidence of her tears to the best of her ability.

"Fruit of my loins!" Rory heard as soon as she passed through security and into the terminal proper.

Rory blushed. "Mom, really? In public?"

"How else am I supposed to greet my long lost daughter that I haven't seen or talked to in days because she forgot how technology works?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Really? You know how I am with my work. I get involved and try to get as much done as I can while I'm in the moment."

"Yeah, yeah. But, it doesn't make it sit any better with me," Lorelai continued as they made their way to baggage claim. She went on in this vein while Rory grabbed her bag and walked towards the short term lot. As much as she enjoyed being around her mom, especially after she'd been gone for a while, her chatter was not what she felt like she needed right then. She really wanted to be able to sit and wallow a bit, but she wouldn't be able to until she was in her childhood room later that night.

Once in the car, Rory felt her mother looking at her. "You okay?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just seem…off? Is that the word?"

Rory shrugged. "I just got off a transatlantic flight. I feel rumpled, I smell like a plane, and I just want to sleep. How else should I seem at this point?"

Lorelai shrugged as she started the car. "I don't know. You just seem like there's something else going on with you."

"Nope," Rory told her. "Just tired."

Thankfully, Lorelai dropped it. Rory was grateful because, while she was tired, she was worried she'd eventually cave under the pressure and blurt everything out. As they left the airport, Rory stared out the window, thinking of the love of her life on the other side of the world, probably already in bed, like she would be as soon as she could.


	7. Chapter 6

Before Rory realizes it, a year has passed and she and Logan are able to sneak away for an anniversary trip. He meets her in Venice and they spend a week riding in Gondolas, eating their weight in pasta, and savoring the moments with each other. It is, as always, over way too soon and Rory finds herself back in the States. Since a year is past, she and Logan feel more confident in their marriage, especially since it's been mostly long distance, but they still don't know how to go about going public with it.

It is frustrating for both of them. But, neither of them see a solution. Neither do Odette or Rory's grandparents. They have an added stress now of Mitchum and Odette's family pushing for Logan and Odette to get engaged. They have pushed back and put it off, but Rory worries that an engagement announcement is forthcoming.

Thankfully, she has gotten to know Odette over the last year and has come to consider her a close friend. While she can talk to her grandmother about some things, there is quite the generational gap. Having Odette as someone to talk to has helped Rory immensely with any anxieties she has and she has come to consider her a good friend. It certainly surprised Logan, but it definitely surprised her more. She initially wanted to hate Odette because they had to include her in their plan. But Rory has discovered that Odette is well read, articulate, and quite smart.

Rory snaps out of her reverie when her phone rings. She looks down to see Odette is calling. She is at home in Stars Hollow and is thankfully at home alone. Lorelai is at work and Luke is at the diner. She answers, smiling as she greets, "Hey! How are you? I haven't talked to you in ages!"

"I am doing well. How about you, Rory?"

"I'm not doing too bad. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well," Odette hedged, "I have several reasons for calling."

Rory immediately tensed, anticipating a potentially stressful conversation. "What's up?" she asks.

Odette sighed. "Things are not improving with the 'marriage' talks here. My father gave me a prenup today."

Rory sucked a breath in. She knew that this was potentially going to be happening soon, but she hoped they would have longer to prepare and anticipate this day.

Odette continued, "I know that we were all hoping for more time. I am assuming that if I have a copy, Logan will already have one also or will be getting one of his own."

"I honestly can't believe they're already pushing it," Rory told her after a few moments of silence.

"I agree, but I also know that Mitchum and Papa want to make sure they secure everything between us. I am reading over this document and I am worried. If we sign, then we might run into potential problems when it comes to 'breaking up' down the road."

They were silent for a few moments. Eventually, Rory asks, "Can you scan and send me a copy of the prenup? I want to see if my grandfather can possibly look over it or if he knows someone who can to help advise us."

"That's a good idea. I can't believe I didn't already think of that! Once we finish, I will scan it to you."

"Thank you, Odette. I don't think I say it enough to you considering everything you have done for Logan and I this past year."

"Rory, you do not have to thank me. I have come to regard you as one of my best friends over this last year and I am happy to do what I can for the two of you. I should be thanking you for allowing me to break from my societal mold!"

Rory laughed. "How about we both agree to meet up soon and dispense with this thanking business?"

Odette laughed as well. "I can get behind that easily."

They spent the next few minutes going over their schedules to see when they would be in the same city, or at least close enough that one of them could travel to the other for little cost. They agreed on a date and were just hanging up when Rory heard her mother drive up.

"Ok, I'll see you soon, Odette. I need to go because my mother just pulled up outside."

"Of course, mon cherie. I will e-mail you shortly."

Rory had just hung her phone up and flung it to her bed when she heard the front door open. "Rory? Are you still here?"

"In here, Mom!"

Rory is sitting at her desk reading over an article when Lorelai walks in. "Do you never stop to relax?" she asks Rory as she sits in the arm chair in Rory's room.

Rory shrugs and looks at her mother. "What are you doing here so early? I thought you would be at the Dragonfly for a while longer."

Lorelai gasps. "Can I not come home to see my darling daughter? Maybe I missed you or wanted to talk to you. You ever think of that, huh?"

Rory cocked an eyebrow at her. "You can. But, you just saw me, what? Five hours ago, if that?"

"Fine," Lorelai huffed. "I was bored and there was nothing to do at the Inn. Since we've finally started turning a profit and hired a manager, I don't need to be there as often. So, I decided to come see my daughter and see if she wanted to go to lunch with me. My treat."

Rory rolls her eyes. "You can't say it's your treat when you're just going to take me to Luke's where you get free food anyways."

Lorelai mock gasped. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

Rory laughed. "Fine, come on. If I'm going to eat, I need to do it now. I need to get this article finished tonight so I can send it off."

It was Lorelai's turn to roll her eyes. "Please. You work too hard. I'm sure if you don't get it done tonight that you'll be fine."

Rory gathered her things and looked at her mother. "Yes, everything would be fine. Except that my article was late and I'd probably never be offered to write for this magazine again."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Lorelai grumbled as they walked out of the house.

The first few minutes of the walk was silent and Rory used the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Stars Hollow. Snow had just fallen the day previously and it was beautiful to look at. Alas, it wasn't meant to last as Lorelai started chatting.

"So, you haven't told me about any boys recently."

"Mom, I think I'm to the point that we can stop calling them boys."

"But they're toys, honey. I think you can still call them that. But you are deflecting. So, what's up?"

Rory sighed. "I'm still seeing Paul."

Lorelai scrunched her nose up in confusion. "Paul? I thought it was Pete."

Rory rolled her eyes, thankful her mother couldn't see her face. She didn't like that she was "dating" someone in New York, but she and Logan agreed it was necessary. She went to a speed dating event, a fact her mother doesn't know, and met Paul there. He was the most bearable of the guys she met that night. When he asked for her number, she explained the situation to him. If needed, she would have paid him to act like her boyfriend. But, it didn't come to that. Paul agreed to act like her boyfriend when needed and he was free to see others if he so chose. "No, he's always been known as Paul."

Lorelai shrugged. "Whatever you say. How is he then?"

"Good," Rory told her as she pulled open the door to Luke's and snagged a table.

"Good? That's all you have to say? That's what you say after a night out that you don't want to repeat. That's what you say when my mother forces you to go to an event with her. That's what you say—"

Rory interrupted her, "I got it Mom. You can stop. Jeez. He's on a business trip, so I haven't talked to him recently."

"Oh, why didn't you just say that?"

Rory stared at her. "I would have if you had given me an opportunity. Instead, you jumped on my word choice and picked it apart the way a professor would rip your paper apart."

Before Lorelai could respond, Luke came up to the table. He was dressed in his normal flannel shirt and baseball hat. Rory was glad to see him. Ever since she and Logan started their charade, she found it harder to be around her mother for longer periods of time. She loved her, of course, but because she was keeping such a big secret from her, Rory found it hard to tolerate her mother's laissez-faire attitude about a lot of things.

"Hey Luke! How are you today," she asked him, smiling.

"I'm good, Rory. Lorelai, why aren't you at work?"

Lorelai pouted. "I can't decide to come visit my boyfriend whenever I want?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Of course you can, but shouldn't you be at work? You've been leaving early a lot recently."

"Maybe it's because I have a hunk of burning love waiting for me at home."

Rory could swear she saw Luke start to blush at her mother's comments. Luke ignored Lorelai's comments and instead said, "I assume you both want coffee?"

They both nodded. Luke poured the coffee and asked, "Burger for both of you?"

They nodded again. Lorelai also said, "Make sure you don't add any of that fancy stuff to it either."

Luke looked at her weird. "Fancy stuff? You mean lettuce?"

"Yes! That's what it's called! I don't want any of that on there."

He rolled his eyes and Rory could hear him grumbling under his breath about crazy women. With Luke's interruption, Rory was able to steer the conversation of her love life and get Lorelai talking about some of the things she missed at the most recent town meeting.

It wasn't until later that night that Rory was able to open up the e-mail Odette sent her with the prenup. She opened the document up and read through it, but she definitely didn't understand any of it. She checked the clock and saw it was just after nine. She could call her grandparents to see about going the next day, but with her luck, Lorelai would come in at the worst moment.

Luckily, or unluckily, her grandparents figured out texting a few years before and she was able to text them about things she didn't want her mother to overhear. She quickly sent off a text to her grandmother about stopping by for tea the previous day and sat back down at her desk to finish her article. A few minutes later, her phone dinged, signaling a text. She checked and saw it was a confirmation from Emily for the following morning at 10 o'clock. A bit after that, she finished her article and sent it to the editor.

At this point, she finally allowed herself to relax and collapse on the bed. She would love to talk to Logan, but he wouldn't be up for a few hours yet and she didn't want to wake him up. She sighed. It was definitely getting harder to be apart from him for such long stretches of time. She was feeling the pressure. And, when she and Logan were together, she could tell that he was also. She would give anything to be able to just announce to the world that she and Logan were married and that they were happy together, his family be damned.

It was these thoughts she had running through her mind as she fell asleep.

—

Upon waking up the next morning, Rory saw that Logan sent her a long text message apologizing for the prenup and telling her that he loved her. It was a great way for her to wake up, even with the prenup issues, and she walked into the kitchen with a pep in her step.

She poured coffee and sat at the table, pulling the newspaper sitting there closer to her. She heard her mother walk into the kitchen and listened as she poured coffee in her cup before joining her at the table.

"So," Lorelai started, "what do you say to playing hooky today and we go shopping?"

"I can't," Rory told her, feeling bad as she said it. She would love nothing more than to go shopping because it would take her mind off the entire Logan situation.

"Rory!" Lorelai whined. "Come on! Whatever it is, you can totally blow it off!"

"I can't, I swear. I'm meeting Grandma at 10."

Lorelai grimaced. "Why are you meeting her?"

Rory inwardly sighed. She wanted to avoid telling her mom about her trip to Hartford if possible, but this whole hooky thing necessitated her telling her mom of her appointment. "I haven't seen her in a bit and I wanted to get by to see her and Grandpa."

"Rory, come on! You see her all the time! Just this once, blow her off!"

"Mom! You know I can't do that. I would never hear the end of it and, if she found out why, you know Grandma would have a conniption."

Lorelai sighed and glared at Rory. She grumbled, "You're right…I don't like it, but you're right. I would never hear the end of it whenever we talked."

Rory could see that her mom was bummed, so she decided to try to compromise. "How about we meet for a late lunch, around one o'clock, and do some shopping after?"

"Really?" Lorelai asked, perking back up.

"Yeah. We can go to that place you like to eat. I can't think of the name…" Rory said, struggling to remember that place her Mom always raved about.

"Panera!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Yeah, that place. We can do that."

"You are my favorite daughter. Have I ever told you that?"

"I'm your only daughter, Mom. So I have to be your favorite."

Lorelai shrugged. "Doesn't make it any less true."

Rory rolled her eyes and laughed. She checked the time and saw that it was later than she originally thought. She quickly finished her coffee and placed her cup in the sink. Rory told her mother bye and went into her room to get ready. Since she was going to her grandparents, Rory had to make sure she looked nice enough that her grandmother wouldn't make a comment.

She quickly selected a floral print dress and some flats to go with it. Going into the bathroom, her hair didn't look too bad, so she touched it up with a straightener and put her make-up on. She quickly finished getting ready and gathered her things. She forwarded the email with the prenup to her grandfather so they could print when she arrived. After making sure she had everything, she made her way to the car and started the drive to Hartford.

Upon arriving, her made her way inside after being welcomed by a maid and found her grandparents in the dining room waiting for her.

"Rory! I am so glad you asked if you could come over today! How are you?" her grandmother gushed, standing to give her a hug.

"I'm doing well, Grandma. I'm glad I could come by too, even if it is for ulterior motives. How are you Grandpa?" she asked she she walked over and hugged him as well.

"I am doing well as well, Rory," he told her with a nod.

Rory sat and waited as Emily called the maid in with the tea service. There were already scones and sandwiches on the table and Rory's mouth watered at the site. Tea, scones, and sandwiches from tea time were some of her favorite things from England and she misses it when she is not in London.

Once the tea was laid and poured, Emily cleared her throat. "You have a prenup for us to look over?" she prompted.

Rory nodded and looked at her grandparents. "Yes. It's what Odette sent me yesterday. Apparently her family and Logan's family are trying to push forward with the 'dynastic' plan. They're both worried what this prenup could mean down the line if they sign and we go public."

"Well," her grandfather started, "I am not an expert on prenups, but I have seen my fair share of them through the years. From what I can tell, it seems to be fairly straightforward. Nothing unusual for this set at least. I did see where Mitchum and Odette's father have written in that a business merger will happen upon the marriage of Odette and Logan. But, other than that, nothing at all that raises any eyebrows."

"What do you mean a business merger?" Rory asked, confused by that.

"Essentially, it's worried in such a way that upon their nuptials, Mitchum will buy out part of Odette's father's company. It looks like it's part of his publishing group. It might be all of it."

"Does that make it more difficult?" Emily asked, looking concerned.

Richard shrugged. "I don't think so. Since Logan and Rory are married and they can prove that, I think when the time comes, that proof should be more than enough. They were married well before the prenup is signed, if it is. Though, knowing Mitchum, he will pursue some kind of legal action when that happens."

"Do you think they shouldn't sign it then?" Rory asked, worrying her lip.

"It's hard to say. I think they should hold off as long as they can and even try to convince everyone that a prenup isn't needed. It would certainly make everything a lot easier."

They fell silent and sipped their tea for several moments. Rory was incredibly worried and she was sure her grandparents could tell. To try and assuage her fears, Richard said, "I've sent a copy of the prenup to a trusted friend that will look it over and advise us on what to do. And, before you ask, it's the same person that helped us right after you and Logan got married. So, we have nothing to worry about with it getting out."

Rory breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't exactly what she was hoping for, but it did go a long way to helping her feel better about everything. Emily stated, "Ok, let's move onto happier topics. How are you and Logan doing? Will you be seeing each other any time soon?"

Rory smiled at her, grateful for the topic change and settled in to fill her grandparents in on her life, Logan's life, and their life together. Though she didn't know it, it was exactly what she needed right then and, by the time she left, she almost couldn't remember why she was so stressed in the first place.


	8. Chapter 7

Life continues, though not easily, for Rory and Logan. She finds herself spending more and more time with Logan, and Odette, as they work through they plan to go public. Now that the time was coming closer, Rory found herself worrying more and more about revealing all to not only the world, but Lorelai. The last almost two years had taken their toll on her relationship with her mother. They were still close, but she found herself allowing more time to pass between conversations and chalked it up to working constantly.

She was working constantly on writing and attempting to make a name for herself so that she wouldn't think her career aspirations were for nothing. Unfortunately, that wasn't going quite as planned. She found herself struggling to get leads on articles and places that were willing to pay her for her writing. Logan told her that money was obviously not an issue, but until they went public, Rory definitely wouldn't even consider redefining her career.

Instead, she found herself bouncing around, pursuing interviews with companies she didn't want to work for, trying to make a book deal work with an eccentric British woman that couldn't sit still to save her life, and trying to hide her frustrations at her married life from all those around her.

That must be why she was so surprised to find herself working at the Stars Hollow Gazette and enjoying the work, even if it didn't pay much and she was driven mad daily by the townspeople's demands. Yet, even with that, she was glad to be somewhere she felt like she was making a difference and that she could be herself, albeit a bit more serious now.

A few days after starting her work at the Gazette, Rory found herself staring at the ancient computer screen in front of her thinking over everything that had happened with her over the past two years: getting married in secret, not telling the majority of her family and friends, living the vagabond lifestyle. Even though she wouldn't change a thing about it since she had Logan—and her grandparents—with her always.

While staring at the screen, she heard her phone ping. She looked at the screen and gasped. It was from Logan and simply said, "We're ready."

Rory sat back. This was it. This was the text that would probably redirect the rest of her life. Ever since the prenup, she, Logan, Odette, and her grandparents had been working towards finally going public and becoming free. Logan and Odette still hadn't signed the prenup, even though there was pressure from both of their families. It hadn't been easy and she fielded more than her share of terse conversations from Logan about the situation.

But, this text, if it meant what she thought it meant, was the start of everything changing. Seeing that she was alone in the office, she quickly locked the door and dialed Logan. Her legs jiggled as she listened to it ring. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Logan picked up on the other end.

"Hey, Ace."

"How can you be so nonchalant?" she asked.

Logan laughed. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Logan!"

"Ace!"

Rory scoffed. "You sent me a cryptic text that I imagine can only deal with one thing really and you're playing games!"

Logan laughed again. "Ace, come on. I knew you would call as soon as you could and I know you would be worked up. So, of course, I'm going to play it up a bit."

Rory huffed. "You still haven't told me what I want to know."

"The text does mean exactly what you think it means. My holdings are separate and safe from my father and everything for us is set. Once we go public, my father has no legal recourse to sue me or take any of my holdings. All the money that I've separated is money that I've made outright. Any money that has come from him recently, I have left alone."

Rory was silent for a moment. "Wow," she breathed, "it's all so real. I mean, obviously I knew this would happen eventually, but to find it here…"

"I know what you mean, Ace. Just think, in a few short months or even weeks, we'll be able to live together. In the open. Not having to worry about anything."

Rory giggled. "It's all so surreal right now. I just don't know what to do. Obviously, we need to figure out where we'll live and what we'll do. And I need to figure out how to tell Mom before it's announced."

"We can worry about the logistics later. But, I'll let you handle your mom. I'm happy to let you tell her how and when you choose."

"I want to tell her soon. I just know she's going to be so upset she missed the wedding and that we've been keeping this secret from her for two years."

Logan sighed. "I know you're worried about your mom's reaction. But, she loves you and she wants you to be happy. She might not totally agree with how it happened, but if she sees your happy, does it matter?"

Rory was silent while she thought over what Logan said. It was true that her mom wanted her to be happy. She just didn't think she wanted her to be happy with Logan or anyone from that set. "I'm sure you're right. I'm just worried about telling her. And how she'll react when she finds out she wasn't there for the wedding."

Logan was silent for a few beats. "Well, how about we remedy that?"

Confused, Rory asked, "What do you mean?"

Logan chuckled. "Why don't you let me handle that?"

"Logan, what do you—" Before she could finish her question, Rory realized she was talking to empty air as Logan had already hung up. She placed her phone back on her desk and pondered what Logan meant. She unlocked the door and sat back down at her desk, staring at the window.

Remedy that? What exactly could it mean? After sitting for a few minutes, Rory realized it was useless to try and figure out what Logan meant. She would probably end up going in circles. Instead, she tried to focus instead on telling her mom that she and Logan were together. And, by together, she obviously meant married. No matter how she approached it, she knew it wouldn't go well. She just had to figure out the best way to break it to her.

Deciding to bite the bullet, Rory fired a text off to her mom, asking if she wanted to do a girl's night by heading into Hartford, getting coffee at their favorite place there, and then topping it off with dinner at their favorite Italian place. Rory hoped that by telling her mom in public, it would lessen her immediate reaction. Of course, there would be hell to pay later once they were in private.

Rory sighed. Her phone dinged with a response for Lorelai, confirming they would meet at the coffee shop at 4 p.m. Seeing it was only around 1, Rory decided to get some work done for the next issue before leaving. Finding herself immersed in work, Rory was surprised to discover it was 3 before she knew it. She quickly finished what she was doing and waited the fifteen minutes for it to save before turning the lights out and locking up.

She climbed into her car and turned it on. Before leaving, she sent off a quick text to her grandmother, letting her know she was telling Lorelai that evening. Rory wanted her to know because she was a little worried Lorelai might not allow her back in Stars Hollow for the night. Text sent, Rory started her quick journey to the shop to meet her mother. As she drew closer, she could feel her nerves ratcheting up. Her palms were even starting to sweat.

Upon arriving, she found parking right outside and made her way in. She scanned quickly to make sure her mother wasn't already there and walked up to the counter to order. Once she received her drink, she claimed a table that was a little more removed from the others in preparation for the eventful conversation they were sure to have soon.

She slowly sipped her coffee and watched the door, her stomach in knots as the minutes ticked by. Finally, her mother walked in. She waved to catch her attention. Lorelai waved back before making her way to the counter to get her own drink. A few minutes later, Lorelai joined her at the table. Rory smiled as her mom sat down.

Lorelai took a sip of her coffee and looked at Rory. "So, daughter of mine, what's up?"

Taken aback, Rory asked, "What do you mean?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Rory, I know you better than you know you. I know that something has been bothering you for a while now. I've just been waiting for you to be ready to share it with me."

"You know somethings been bothering me?"

"Yeah, for about two years I think? I can tell that you've had something going on because you've been more stressed than usual. And, don't even get me started on how you've kept me at the distance."

Rory grimaced. "Have I been that transparent?"

Lorelai looked at her. "To some, no. But to me? Definitely. So kid, what is it?"

Rory took a steadying breath. The moment was finally here. "Well, it's kinda big. Are you sure you're ready?"

Lorelai nodded and Rory could tell her mom was bracing herself for whatever she was saying. Because of this, Rory decided to just rip the band-aid off and tell her mom everything in one swoop. "Well. I'm back together with Logan. And we're married. We have been for two years."

Lorelai's eyes widened and she gasped. She didn't say anything, however. "Mom?" Rory asked, nervous since her mother hadn't said anything.

"Logan? Married? Two years?!"

Rory winced with each question, but didn't say anything.

Lorelai continued. "You've been married for two years to limo boy and you didn't tell me? Why not? Why couldn't you trust me with this?"

Rory sighed. "There are some circumstances surrounding how we got married."

Lorelai interrupted, "Circumstances?"

"Yeah. You know his family hasn't always gotten along with the idea of me and him being together. We knew if we decided to screw it all, his family would make our lives hell."

"Rory, that makes sense. I can totally understand you not telling his family. But, that still doesn't explain you not telling me, your mother, your best friend, for the last two years."

"We decided to only tell people that could help us with the legal aspect of it and those who were involved in the charade."

Lorelai leveled Rory with a look. "Okay, then who did you tell?"

Rory eyes widened. She really didn't want to answer that question because she knew that her mom would over react. "Mom, that's not important."

"No, Rory, I think it is important."

Rory sighed. "Odette, Paul, and…Grandma and Grandpa."

Lorelai gasped. "You told my mother?! Before telling me?"

Rory grimaced. "I hadn't planned on it. But, Logan and I needed someone that could help us with the legalities."

"So you went to my mother?"

"And Grandpa. He was the real reason we went to them."

"That doesn't matter as much as you going to my mother about your marriage and not me. I am hurt!"

"I know, Mom. And I'm sorry! I just didn't know how to tell you and have you not get super upset. I debated daily about telling you. But, then days, weeks, months, and then years went by and I could never figure out how to bring it up."

They both sat in silence. After several minutes of sitting in silence while they sipped their coffee, Lorelai broke their silence. "I'm not happy with you keeping me from this, but I will admit that I can maybe understand your thinking. And, while I'm not totally happy that you're married to the playboy of Yale, I am happy for you if you're happy."

Rory smiled, "Really?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, really."

"Thanks, Mom. You don't know how much this means to me that you're not going to completely go off the rails on everything that I kept from you."

"I'm not gonna lie, kid. I want to, oh boy do I want to. But, I'm willing to see the benefit of the doubt until I see reason not to. Now, let's talk about more important topics: your wedding. Tell me all about it!"

—

A few days later and Rory was still getting used to her mother poking fun at her marriage. While it was annoying, it was also nice to be able to share this with her. Now that she knew, Rory felt like she could tell her mom everything, within reason. She made sure she didn't talk about her and Logan's love life. That was strictly off limits.

Since she told her mother, she also felt better at work. She attacked the Gazette with gusto and found herself excited for what was soon to come. On one of her few breaks. Rory was sitting at her desk, staring out her window after a conversation with Jess where he encouraged her to write a book.

The idea certainly had some appeal, but she wasn't too sure she wanted to go that route. Thankfully, she didn't have to make a decision right then. She was broken from her reverie by the sight of Petal, Kirk's pig, running down the street with a sign on her. Rory thought she was delusional because she thought it read "Kick up a Rumpus."

Obviously that couldn't be right. She was pretty sure Kirk didn't even know what rumpus meant. Brushing it off, Rory turned back to her work and finished up rather quickly. When she was locking up that night, she got the creeps as Stars Hollow seemed eerily silent. Upon turning around, she was faced with three men in steam punk attire and gorilla masks.

Rory smiled, realizing who she was looking at. She laughed as they gave their spiel and hugged each of them in turn.

"You know, I think I'm a bit offended that you and Logan didn't tell us you were married, love," Finn told her after removing the mask.

"I agree. You are, after all, one of us. It's only fair that we be allowed to participate and witness the union between you two," Colin piped in.

"Alas, I also agree. But, thankfully, tonight that will be remedied," Robert continued.

Before Rory could ask what they meant, Rory heard, "Ace."

She spun around. "Logan!" she squealed, throwing herself into his arms.

Logan laughed and kissed her softly. "I hope you're always that happy to see me."

"I will always be that happy to see you."

"Good," he told her, "I need you to get dressed in the outfit I have for you in this garment bag."

Rory looked at what Logan pointed to and saw the bag hanging from Finn's fingers. Before she could say anything, Logan cut her off. "Trust me, Ace."

She nodded and grabbed the bag. She let herself back into the gazette and quickly changed. She laughed at seeing her outfit. It was very similar to the outfit that Logan and his friends were in. It was all so fantastical, but it was also amazing. And exactly something that Logan would do.

After finishing, she stepped out and curtsied to the cat-calls the boys sent her way.

"Damn, Gilmore, if I had known you looked that good, I would have stolen you away from Huntz ages ago," Colin told her, leering at her comically.

Rory laughed. "I don't doubt that for a minute. But, I think you'll have a fight on your hands."

"Too true. Well, are you ready for your grand adventure?" Finn asked.

Rory shrugged. "In Omnia Paratus!"

The boys echoed her and let her towards the gazebo where she could see Logan standing along with a few other people. Upon drawing closer, she saw Lane, Lorelai, Luke, Honor, and her grandparents standing there. Before she could say anything, Logan said, "I thought we could do a small civil ceremony here that included all our favorite and closest people. I know our wedding in Copenhagen was exactly what we each wanted, but this way we can incorporate everyone into it."

Rory looked around then and noticed that lights had been strung between the trees. She also saw pictures spaced out. In the few that she could see closest to her, she saw they were pictures of her and Logan throughout the years. She smiled at him. "I think this is a great idea."

"Alright everyone! Places!" Robert called out.

Rory watched as everyone shuffled to their predetermined places. She saw the Reverend stand in the middle of the gazebo with Logan and everyone else line the sidewalk up to the gazebo. As she walked by, she hugged everyone and then made her way up the steps. While this was just a show for everyone, Rory still felt it was special as it included everyone that they considered near and dear in their lives.

The ceremony was fairly quick and Rory laughed when everyone cheered once the Reverend presented them to everyone. She got more hugs and congratulations from everyone. She also said her goodbyes because Logan assured her that they had a night full of fun with him and the boys. From there, she went on one of the wildest nights of her life where she watched Kirk's short film, danced around Stars Hollow, and eventually found herself at a B&B in New Hampshire.

After saying good night to the boys, she and Logan made their way up to her room. They both collapsed on the bed. "Can you believe it?" Logan asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you believe that were about to go public? That everything will finally come together?"

"No, I can't. It's just surreal."

"I know exactly what you mean," he told her as he reached over, pulling her to him.

Rory sighed, relaxing into Logan's embrace. After a few minutes, Rory moved so she could see Logan's face. "You know…this is our first time in the same room, a bedroom at that, in how long? I can't believe you're not taking advantage of me yet."

Logan laughed. "Well, maybe I was waiting for you to make the move. You ever think about that? I mean, you can't get enough of me when we're in London, so I thought that would hold true for here as well."

Rory joined in his laughter. "Come on! You know that's not the case!"

"Ace! I'm hurt!" Logan mocked. "You can't get enough of me?"

"You know exactly what I mean! Now, stop making fun of me and kiss me!"

"As you wish," Logan told her and he pulled her to him for a kiss, which quickly transformed into something more.

They each made quick work of the other's clothing, not caring where anything landed. Before she knew it, Rory found herself laying on her back as Logan slowly made love to her. It was so different from how they normally had sex. While she definitely enjoyed fucking and rough sex, this side of Logan was a nice change. It felt different not only because of pace but also because she knew that her life was finally exactly what she wanted.

All too soon, they each reached completion and collapsed onto the bed beside each other. As she curled into Logan's arms and drifted to sleep, she heard him whisper, "I love you, Ace" as he kissed her head. As she drifted off, she smiled and mumbled that she loved him too.


	9. Chapter 8

About a month later, Rory was in London visiting Logan so they could go over the final details of the announcement of their marriage. Unfortunately, Rory wasn't feeling very good. It started right after she arrived. She got sick as soon as they got home and she hadn't recovered since. She could tell that Logan was worried about her, but she still forced him to go to work while she stayed at home recuperating.

While talking to Lane one day, Lane asked her, "Rory, you've been sick since you got there. You're not running a fever and you don't really have any other symptoms. Do you think that you might be pregnant?"

Rory immediately scoffed. "Lane, please. Logan and I have been incredibly careful. There is no way I'm pregnant."

Lane chuckled. "You say that, but remember when I found out I was pregnant?"

They were both silent for a few moments before Rory gasped. "Oh! I need to get to the pharmacy."

They quickly said their goodbyes so Rory could rush out. Fifteen minutes later, she was back in the apartment and waiting impatiently in the bedroom to see what the result of the test would say. Obviously, she and Logan wanted kids. But they weren't ready yet. They agreed they wanted to wait until after the announcement of their marriage and they settled into their lives together before actively trying to expand.

The timer on Rory's phone dinged and cut Rory's thoughts short. She took a deep breath and walk into the bathroom. She saw the test sitting on the counter, but couldn't bring herself to walk closer to it to see what it actually said. After taking a few deep breaths, she manned up and stepped closer to the test and grabbed it. She looked down and started to hyperventilate. The test was positive and Rory didn't know how to handle it or who to talk to.

Realizing she couldn't tell Logan over the phone and she couldn't tell her mom yet, she dialed Lane again. Before Lane could say anything, Rory blurted out, "You were right!"

"Rory?"

"You were right. I'm pregnant."

Lane gasped. "That's amazing, Rory! That is amazing, right?"

Rory paused. "Yeah, it is. It's unexpected and before we're ready I think, but it is exciting."

"That's great!" Lane enthused. Rory smiled at the enthusiasm in her friend's voice. It helped assuage her fears a bit.

"How and when are you going to tell Logan?" Lane asked.

Rory sighed. "I'm not sure. I think I need to go on and tell him so he doesn't continue to think I'm going to die on him. But, I'm also scared to."

"Rory, I understand your fear. How do you think I felt? But, Logan obviously loves you and the two of you have been married almost two years. Two years! Yeah, most of it's been apart, but if you can survive two years of ocean hopping, I think you can survive a child and telling the father of said child that he is going to be a father."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Rory said, seeing the truth in Lane's words but not wanting to give into them yet.

"Rory, you'll be fine. Really."

Rory smiled. "Thanks Lane. You're right. We're married and we've somewhat got our lives together. I'll tell him tonight."

After a few more minutes, Rory hung up the phone and checked the time. Logan wasn't due home for another few hours, so Rory took it upon herself to head out to find some cute way to tell Logan that he was going to be a dad. She didn't want to be too cliche, but she also wanted to make it obvious what she was telling him.

Eventually, she was in a children's store and saw the cutest selection of stuffed animals. She picked a beer with an umbrella and a matching baby's rattle. While she was paying, they offered to gift wrap it and she decided that would make it easier for her to surprise him. Thanking the clerk, she made her way outside and felt giddy. While she was still scared, she now couldn't contain the excitement of telling Logan about the change coming their way.

After waiting a few hours, Rory finally heard Logan's key in the door. She sat up a bit straighter and glanced down, making sure the wrapped gift for Logan was still on the table. She smiled and stood up when he walked in. He pulled her into a hug once he reached her.

"Are you feeling better?" Logan asked, pulling back to look at her.

"Much," she assured him. "In fact, I decided I was feeling so much better that I ran out and ended up getting you a gift."

"Oh?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Rory nodded and pointed to the coffee table and the gift sitting on it. He stepped forward and picked it up, giving it a small shake. She laughed at the look of confusion on his face when he heard the baby rattle. Logan shrugged and started opening the paper. Rory held her breath as he got the paper off and opened the box.

Logan's brow furrowed as he looked at the stuffed animal and rattle. "Uh, Ace, not that I don't appreciate this, but I think I might be a bit too big for these things."

"Really?" Rory asked, playing dumb. "I don't know. I think it might come in handy."

Logan laughed. "Are you trying to imply something about my mental state?"

"No."

Logan looked at her quizzically and then looked back down at what was in the box. She saw the look of realization on his face when he finally clued into what he was telling her. "Does this mean what I think it means?" he asked.

"I don't know. What do you think it means?" she asked coquettishly.

"Does this mean you're pregnant?"

Rory bit her lip, smiled, and nodded.

Logan threw the box onto the couch and gathered Rory into his arms. "I can't believe it!"

Rory laughed at Logan's enthusiasm. "Does this mean you're happy?"

"You have no idea, Ace. We're going to have a baby!"

"Yeah, we're going to have a baby."

He pulled her into a kiss and Rory melted into his arms. Seeing his reaction helped Rory feel better overall about being pregnant unexpectedly. When she pulled back, she said, "I also took the liberty of calling an OB/GYN here for a check up tomorrow to have everything verified."

"What time? I want to be there?"

"It's at 3. But, do you think that's a good idea? Someone might see you going in and rumors might start."

Logan paused and then sighed. "You're right. There's a chance someone might see and that would make our upcoming announcement null and void. But, I expect some sort of gift because of it!"

Rory laughed. "I think I can arrange that. In fact, I think I can handle giving you your gift today…"

Rory pressed her lips back against Logan's. She traced his lips with her tongue, asking for entrance. He opened his mouth and she deepened the kiss. She pulled back and peppered kisses down his cheek and jaw to his neck. Logan groaned as she moved lower.

Following her lead, Logan walked them into the bedroom. He placed her on the bed before stepping back and helping her take her clothes off. Once she was naked, he quickly took his off as well and pushed her up the bed. Rory scooted closer to the top of the bed and Logan followed. This time, he trailed kisses down her body, starting with her lips and pausing over her belly to tenderly kiss it.

Rory melted a bit at Logan doing that and then quickly gasped as she realized where he ended up. Logan was lightly licking her folds and Rory felt it everywhere it seemed. Just when she was hoping for more, Logan applied more pressure to his ministrations and slowly pushed one, then two fingers into her. He curled his fingers and Rory gasped at the feeling. After a few minutes of his ministrations, Rory could feel herself nearing the edge. However, before she reached the edge, Logan stopped and kissed his way back up her body.

"What are you doing?" she asked, outraged and panting.

Logan smirked at Rory. "I'm prolonging the experience."

Before Rory could respond, Logan kissed her. He delved back between her folds, causing her to gasp. She then felt his erection pressing at her entrance. He slowly pushed his way in and paused once he was fully sheathed inside her. He slowly started to thrust in and out and Rory moans at the feeling of it. Logan kept a slow pace until Rory started to meet him thrust for thrust.

She eventually decided that it wasn't enough and reached between them to start playing with herself. She heard Logan groan and looked up at him. "Ace…" he ground out.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"I'm barely holding on here."

Rory giggled. "Maybe I don't want you to."

Logan stopped moving and looked at her.

"What?" she asked, confused now.

"You asked for it," he told her before pulling out.

"Logan!" she squealed as he turned her onto her knees.

Her squeal quickly turned into a moan as Logan pushed his way back in. From this angle, Rory felt like she could feel every inch of Logan as he started thrusting. She also felt everything so much more and Logan seemed to be hitting every single one of her spots. She found herself quickly approaching the edge again. Logan reached around and started playing with her clit. That was exactly what Rory needed and she found herself quickly falling over the edge.

She felt Logan's thrusts speed up, which in turn extended her orgasm and pushed her over the edge into a second one. Through her haze, she heard Logan let out a long groan before pulling out and collapsing on the bed next to her. Rory fell onto her stomach and lay there for several moments before rolling over to look at Logan. "Wow," was all she said.

"Agreed," Logan panted.

—

Life settled back into their normal routines. Or, as normal a routine as possible given the bombshell that Lorelai was now aware of and the impending announcement that was coming any day now. Rory could tell that he mother wanted to talk to her about Logan and everything with that, but she refrained. Rory wasn't sure what to think of it either.

Normally, her mother wouldn't hesitate to bring something that bothered her up, but she didn't this time and Rory didn't know what to think. But, she wasn't going to complain about it either. Instead, the two of them threw themselves into the planning and implementation of Lorelai's wedding to Luke. Rory couldn't wait for it to happen because it had been entirely too long waiting for this.

Her mom had planned a flash mob for the reception and, Rory got immense pleasure from watching Luke try to rile her mom up by talking about his supposed flash mob also. Watching them go back and forth on that and the other plans gave Rory immense happiness. Her mom deserved all the happiness in the world and she couldn't wait to witness it.

That's why, when she was told about the secret nighttime wedding they wanted to do with just her and a few other close people, she jumped at the chance to help out. Though Kirk the majority of the decorating, she helped get some other smaller things set up, such as the lights in the trees and the decorations in the gazebo. She knew her mom would love it and she couldn't imagine a better way for her and Luke to get married.

Later that evening, she watched as Lorelai laughed at the spectacle of the town as she realized the extent Luke went to decorate it and get it ready for their wedding. Throughout the ceremony, Rory couldn't contain her happiness for her mom. And, she made sure she and Luke knew that before, during, and after the ceremony.

By the time the festivities wound down, Rory and her mom were sitting on the steps of the gazebo as the sun started to rise over the town. They sat there and Rory watched her mom take a swig from a bottle of champagne, obviously giddy.

"So, how does it feel?" Rory asked her.

"Amazing," her mom said, looking at her with a smile on her face. She takes another swig and passed the bottle to Rory.

Rory placed the bottle on the steps next to her without taking a sip, a fact Lorelai didn't miss. Rory decided it was now or never.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm pregnant."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rory saw Lorelai's shocked face as she took in what Rory said. After several moments, "What?"

Rory repeated herself. "I'm pregnant."

"I know. I heard you the first time. I'm just trying really hard to process what you're saying."

Rory didn't know how to respond and she was worried that if she started talking, her mom might lash out and that really wasn't what she wanted.

"How?" Lorelai eventually asked.

"Mom, I don't think I need to explain that to you."

Lorelai scoffed. "I don't mean how it happened because I can use my imagination, though I'd prefer not to. I guess I should have asked when."

"Remember when we did the civil ceremony?"

Lorelai nodded and Rory continued. "We stayed at a B&B in New Hampshire. We thought we were careful and weren't. While I was in London last, I had it confirmed."

They lapsed into silence again. "So, what are you going to do kid?"

"What do you mean 'what am I going to do?'"

"Well, what are your plans now? I assume you weren't planning on getting pregnant. So what are you going to do?"

"Don't you think you should be asking what _we're_ going to do?"

Lorelai scoffed. "Please, Rory. You can't think that Logan wants to have kids right now."

Rory honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What does that have to do with anything? We're married. We made a promise to one another."

"Oh, Rory. You know that doesn't mean anything. Look at Christopher. He was never around while you were growing up. He and Logan are exactly alike."

Rory was shocked. "I can't believe you would say that."

"Say what?" Lorelai asked her.

"That Logan is just like Dad. They might have some similarities, but Logan has grown so much since he was that scared adult when I was in college. He married me. He wants to be with me. And he wants to be with his child."

"Rory, come on. Does he even know? Have you told him?"

"Mom, I was in London when I found out. Of course I told him! Who do you think I am?"

"Seriously, Rory. This isn't you."

"What do you mean this isn't me? This _is_ me, Mom. I married Logan because I love him. And he married me because he loves me. And, he was thrilled when I told him. While it's not what we wanted when we wanted it, we can't wait to see our little one."

Lorelai was silent. Rory couldn't take it though. "Mom, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I don't know who you are and I don't know if I can be around you anymore."

Before Rory could respond, Lorelai got up and walked away. Rory watched her as she crossed the street and made her way to the Crap Shack. She honestly couldn't believe the conversation they had just had. She knew her mom wouldn't react well to the news initially, but she didn't think that she would lose it like she did.

After a few minutes, she pulled her phone out and called Logan, who was in New York, preparing for the announcement that was going into the paper the next day. It rang twice and Logan answered. "Ace! I didn't think I'd hear from you this early. How is the preparation going?"

"Ummm, it's going well. Mom and Luke got married last night. So, today is really just for show."

"What's wrong?" Logan asked, sounding worried.

"Umm, I told Mom I was pregnant."

"Ah. How'd she take it?"

"Well, it could have been better. Let's just say I might not be welcome at home for a bit."

Logan sighed. "I'm sorry, Ace. Are you still going to the wedding today?"

"Yeah, I mean, it would look weird if I didn't. But I guess I'll go on and get my stuff gathered so once it's done I can go on and head into the city. I just hate leaving things with her like this."

"I know you do. But, maybe some space and time will help her come to terms with this."

Rory sighed. "I guess. I just remember when we didn't talk when I dropped out of Yale and that was so difficult. This is ten times worse."

"I know it is. But, you two are best friends. I don't imagine it will last nearly as long."

"I hope not. I knew she wasn't happy that we got married, especially since she wasn't told. I guess I didn't realize how upset she was though."

"Ace, it'll be okay. Get through today and get here to me and we'll talk about it then."

"Ok. I can do that. Have I told you I love you today?"

"No," he said. "You have not. But, why don't you save those adulations until we're in person and you can show me how much you love me."

Rory smiled. "I think I can do that."

"So, enjoy today as much as possible, and I'll see you in a few hours. I'll be the one waiting not-so-patiently for his beautiful, pregnant wife to get home."

"I will. See you soon."

She hung up, feeling much better about everything. Steeling herself, she decided that it was best to just get through the day the best she could and deal with whatever consequences that are.


	10. Chapter 9

Though she doesn't know how, Rory survives the day at her mother's wedding. She smiles throughout the day and manages to keep it together through the ice that Lorelai is sending her way. It wasn't easy, especially when her grandmother pulled her aside to ask what was going on.

"Rory, please don't brush me off like your mother. It's obvious something is going on. What is it?"

Rory sighed, not really wanting to tell her Grandmother she was pregnant yet and that was what they were fighting about. She didn't want to tell her not only because she didn't know what it meant, but also because she felt bad enough about telling her mom she was pregnant on her wedding day. But, her grandmother was insistent. She looked around to make sure no one else was standing close and stepped closer to her grandmother.

"Grandma, I don't want you to freak out. But, Mom and I had a fight this morning about something I told her."

"What did you tell her? And don't give me that look!"

Rory's eyes widened as she tried to wipe whatever look was on her face off. "What look? I don't have a look!"

Emily just rolled her eyes. "Really, Rory. You'd think you didn't want to tell me whatever was important enough to tell you mother that caused the two of you to have a big enough fight on her wedding day that we're all uncomfortable."

Rory sighed again. "I told Mom that I was pregnant and she didn't take it well."

Emily gasped. "Pregnant? Rory, really?"

Rory looked at her grandma and smiled. "Yeah. I found out a few weeks ago while I was in London. We were going to hold off a bit on telling people until I was out of the first trimester."

"Rory, that's lovely news! I'm so delighted for you and Logan! It is Logan's, right?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Grandma!"

"Oh, Rory! I'm just teasing. But I am absolutely delighted to hear this. Can you just imagine your eyes with his blonde hair on a little girl or boy? Just darling!"

"Thanks, Grandma. I appreciate your support."

Emily sent her a quizzical look. "What do you mean you 'appreciate my support?'"

Rory bit her lip and averted her eyes, not answering the question.

"Rory, what do you mean? Do you mean that Lorelai wasn't thrilled when you told her you were pregnant?"

Rory grimaced, even more reticent to have this conversation with her grandma that telling her she was pregnant. It's not that she didn't want her Grandma to know what was going on. She just didn't really want to rehash her conversation with Lorelai again. But, she knew she wouldn't be able to escape it no matter how hard she tried. "When I told Mom, she didn't have the best reaction. She wanted to know what I was going to do and scoffed at my description of how happy Logan was about the pregnancy."

Rory watched as her grandmother's face darkened. "Lorelai can be so selfish sometimes. You don't need to listen to a single word she says. You are in a committed relationship with someone who obviously loves you and is happy to start a family with you. If she can't see that, then that's bullshit."

Rory's eyes widened again. "Grandma!"

"What? It's true! It's bullshit. She doesn't have to like everything, but she can offer her support. Now, you need to hurry inside and finish getting ready."

Rory smiled her thanks to her Grandma and wrapped her in a hug. "Thank you. Really."

Emily didn't respond, but patted her back.

Rory smiled at her again. She made her way up the steps to the Dragonfly and laughed at Michel's exasperated shouts as he directed people around the dining room. While they weren't holding the event at The Dragonfly, a lot of the preparation of the food, decorations, and wedding parties was happening there. Thus, Michel was having to direct the staff on what decorations went where at the gazebo.

She paused as she watched him chase a flower toting worker through the front parlor and out the door. She stifled her laughter, knowing that Michel would somehow pick up on it. Her smile widened hearing Sookie's shouts from the kitchen and the subsequent smash of something hitting the floor. She could just barely make out her "I'm fine! I'm fine!" as she turned towards her room.

She let herself in and felt herself deflate. What should have been one of the happiest days of her life was actually somewhat terrible. She thought she would be spending the day helping her mom get ready. Instead, she was delegated to her own room and banished from the bridal chamber. She sat on the bed for a few moments before looking towards her bridesmaid dress. It was beautiful. Her mother picked a deep royal blue dress that had a fur wrap to go around her shoulders. Earlier, a hairdresser and make-up artist visited her earlier and got her hair and make up done.

At least with that done, she didn't have to worry about too much more besides putting the dress on. Noticing the time, Rory also decided that time was now. She slipped the dress and wrap on before putting her shoes on. She checked herself in the mirror and smiled at herself. Normally she wouldn't really spend too much time looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help it today. She grabbed her phone and snapped a photo to send to Logan real quick.

Deciding that she looked the best she possibly could, she made her way downstairs to wait for the photos to start. She only had to wait a few minutes before her mom made her way down the stairs with help with Lane. Her mom looked beautiful. She was wearing a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and a mermaid bottom. It wasn't a full white dress because her mother thought that with her age it wasn't appropriate. It was more of a champagne color and it complimented her coloring very well.

"Mom, you look beautiful."

"Thanks," was Lorelai's terse response.

Rory felt like she had been slapped and she stepped back as if she had been slapped.

Lorelai continued, "Let's just get through this."

Rory tried very hard not to let the tears she could feel building in her eyes spill down her face. Luckily, Michel and her grandmother walked in. They both gushed over Lorelai and then her before getting them outside and into the horse drawn carriage. Thankfully, it wasn't just Rory and Lorelai. Emily was riding with them as well.

They posed for a few photos in the carriage before they started their slow journey to the city center. About 10 minutes later, the carriage stopped and Richard helped first Emily down and sat her before coming back for Rory. She smiled at him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before making her way down the aisle to stand at the bottom of the gazebo steps. She turned around and watched as her grandfather handed Lorelai down and they started their walk down the aisle.

Rory watched as they slowly made their way to the gazebo and turned to face Luke and the officiant as they went up the steps. Throughout the ceremony, Rory couldn't help the happiness she felt for the two of them. If anyone deserved to have happiness, it was definitely her mom and Luke. It took them forever to find each other and finally make it work. Even if this was just for show, the wedding was a long time coming. And the after party was a testament to that.

The next few hours were a whirlwind of emotion as she watched Luke and her mom share their first dance and then Lorelai and Richard do the father/daughter dance. By the time the reception wound down, she was exhausted and made it home in time to pass out in a heap on her bed.

Upon waking the next morning, Rory shuffles into the kitchen and meets Lorelai and Luke getting ready to leave. "Off already?" she asks as she sits down.

"Yeah, we have a few hours drive ahead of us," Luke tells her before grabbing the coffee thermos. "I'll be in the car Lorelai."

Lorelai smiles in acknowledgement. Luke leans down to give Rory a hug before he leaves and she listens as he leaves. The kitchen is uncomfortably silent.

"So…." Rory says, trying to break the silence.

"I've done some thinking," Lorelai starts. "I think that while Luke and I are gone you need to find somewhere else to stay."

Rory is shocked. "What?"

Lorelai sighed and wouldn't meet her eyes. "I think you need to find somewhere else to stay. I can't have you living here."

Rory scoffs as the words set in. "You can't have me living here?"

"I don't agree with some of the choices you've made recently and, because of that, I can't have you living here."

"So, because I made a few choices that you don't agree with, I'm being kicked out?"

"That is not it at all. You're married, as you have so clearly stated, you are married to Logan. Because of that, he can provide for you."

Rory didn't know what to say. "I honestly can't believe this. This is like Yale all over again. I've made choices that you don't agree with and you're shutting me out."

Lorelai shrugs but doesn't say anything. "Whatever. I just want you to move out while we're gone."

With that, Lorelai walked out and left Rory sitting in the kitchen in shock. It took her several minutes to gather herself. She walks into her room numbly and grabs her phone, dialing Logan. His phone rings, but he never answers. She doesn't leave a message and, instead, calls her grandmother. She picks up after two rings.

"Gilmore residence."

"Hey, Grandma."

"Rory? Is that you? What's wrong?"

At that question, the floodgate opens and Rory dissolves into tears. After several minutes of Emily consoling her through the phone, Rory was able tell her grandmother what her mom told her. After she finished, Emily was silent for a few moments. Finally, she said, "Rory, I want you to take a shower and try to relax. Within an hour I will be there with some movers to gather your things and bring them to our house. Once we do that, we will try to get up with Logan and find out what you will be doing in the long term."

Rory whispered "Ok" before hanging the phone up. She gathered her shower things and trudged upstairs. Even though it didn't help a lot, Rory did feel better after her shower. She had just enough time to get back downstairs and get dressed before she heard a knock at the door. She let her grandma in and then settled on the couch, watching as Emily directed the four movers with her through Rory's room to gather her things. In little time, Rory's childhood room was devoid of her presence.

She felt some sadness as she looked over her bare walls and stripped drawers, closet, and mirror. It was like she was closing a door on the Stars Hollow chapter of her life and she didn't quite know how to feel about it, especially since she was being forced out. With one final look, Rory stepped back and shut the door behind her, also shutting the door on the negativity that this house and her mother brought.

—

Later, once she was settled into her old room at her grandparents, Rory was finally able to get up with Logan and tell him what happened. Obviously, he wasn't thrilled and really wanted to give Lorelei a piece of his mind, but refrained from actually following through since Rory begged him not to.

"So, what does this mean?"

"Well, the announcement is going out tomorrow. I anticipate a lot of phone calls and emails from various people and newspapers. We've already drafted a blanket response for anyone that contacts me that I've also sent to you. Until we know the full reaction of my father and mother and the world, there's not a lot we can do."

Rory nodded. "Ok. I'm not planning to answer any phone calls and will keep my eyes peeled for any emails or news vans outside."

From there, they moved on to more pleasant topics, such as Rory's next appointment. Upon hanging up the phone, Rory gazed at the now very outdated room. The pink floral wallpaper and posters of 98 degrees hadn't changed a bit since she was in high school. If she was going to be in her grandparent's house for an extended time, she might ask if they could redecorate it a bit so that it wasn't so girly.

Feeling her eyes grow heavy, Rory decided that a small nap wouldn't be horrible and laid back, allowing herself to sink into a deep sleep that she didn't come out of until the following day.

Upon coming down to breakfast, Rory saw her grandfather reading the newspaper and her grandmother looking at paint samples.

"Morning Grandma and Grandpa!"

"Good morning, Rory," Richard said. "It's a big day. How do you feel?"

"I feel a little queasy, but that could be chalked up to my pregnancy."

Richard chuckled. "I didn't say anything when you arrived yesterday, but congratulations. I can't wait to see the next generation of Gilmore's come into the world."

Rory smiled at him. "Thanks, Grandpa."

Richard smiled at her and returned to his paper. Emily interjected, "So, Rory, I was thinking that you might be here with us for a while and it might be a good idea to redecorate your room. If we look through this today, we can hopefully have it done later this week."

"Thanks. I was actually going to talk to you about that today."

"Well, great minds think alike."

Over breakfast, Rory and her grandmother poured over samples and decided what they wanted in the room. Emily went to order the materials and set up a time for the crew to come later that week once they finished eating. Rory stayed at the table, trying to savor the calm before the storm.

She heard her phone ding and saw a text from Logan telling her that the first contacts were being made by reporters and his father had requested a meeting with him in 15 minutes. Rory gulped at the admission of the upcoming meeting with Mitchum. That could make or break Logan's future in HPG. No matter what, she was in for a long day.


	11. Chapter 10

Though it wasn't as bad as she originally thought it would be, it was still rather rough once the announcement of her and Logan's marriage hit the papers. She and Logan were inundated with phone calls, e-mails, and texts from reporters, family and friends. None of that was more evident than with Logan's family. Outside of his sister Honor, who called each of them to congratulate them on their nuptials, neither Shira or Mitchum were thrilled.

Surprisingly, though, Mitchum was a bit more accepting once he and Logan met and discussed the entire situation.

"So, your dad didn't kill you since I'm talking to you," Rory said when Logan answered her call later the same day as the press release.

Logan chuckled. "Are you sure? I might actually be Logan's ghost that couldn't let go once Mitchum finally lost it."

"Logan! Please! Don't joke. I was really worried earlier when you said Mitchum was already requesting a meeting with you so soon after the announcement hit the papers.

"Ace, come on. I have to joke to lessen the stress I'm feeling right now."

Rory immediately felt bad. "You're right," she started, contrite. "I can only imagine the stress you're feeling right now with this. Tell me everything. Do I need to dig trenches around the house until you're able to come stateside? Fortify the windows?"

Logan laughed. "I think you can hold off on the trench warfare, though I would probably expect some sort of visit from Shira. All I know is she immediately fainted at the sight of our announcement and had to be taken to her room."

"So, she's chain smoking and doped up on Valium. She'll probably be by tonight at the earliest, but most likely tomorrow morning. I'll warn Grandma."

"See, you're already fitting in. You know exactly what my mom does!"

"Logan, please, stop stalling."

Logan sighed. There was a pregnant pause over the phone line as Rory waited for Logan to gather his thoughts. It sucked that she was in the States and Logan was still in England. At least in the same room, they could help each other with comfort and could read each other to better deal with whatever issues might arise. Through a phone, you can't tell anything except that they're, maybe, still breathing.

Eventually he continued. "Well, as expected, he was fire and brimstone when I walked into his office. Demanded I explain the meaning of the announcement and demanded to know what I was doing to counteract this obviously fake announcement on your part."

Rory gasped. "You're joking! He tried to say I made it up?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. He went off on a tirade about how this could ruin everything he's worked towards with Odette's family and that I needed to call her immediately to apologize. Of course, he stopped once I placed our wedding certificate on his desk."

"How'd he react to that? Blow a blood vessel?"

"Pretty close to it. Are you sure you weren't spying on us during the conversation? Anyways, he looked at it, saw the date of our marriage and started at me for several seconds. He called one of the company lawyers in the room to look over it. Guy didn't have too much to say about it except that it was authentic and he was shaking in his boots while saying that. I actually felt a little bad for him since we all knew that wasn't what Mitchum wanted to hear."

"Did the lawyer at least get to leave with his job in tact?"

"Yes, he wasn't fired. Anyways, Mitchum dismissed him and asked me how we came to meet back up and get married. So I gave him the CliffNotes version that he surprisingly accepted with few questions. After that, he asked what I wanted. So, I told him that I wanted to stay with the company but that I was also prepared to find employment elsewhere. I know what an asset I've been to him. I then laid out my terms: an office in New York or Hartford with telecommuting whenever possible so I can be with you and our child. Minimal traveling. Minimal overtime."

"How did it take it? Considering you're saying he took the marriage fairly well, I think better than we thought?"

"You're right. He immediately got on the phone with our stateside office to discuss my immediate transfer. They're going to put me in Hartford for now, though I might have to transfer to New York in a few years depending on how things progress with the company. But, we think that within the next two months I can train my replacement for the European division and be back in the States."

"Two months? Isn't that a bit long?"

"It is. But, I will need to train whoever my replacement is. I'm not sure who it'll be. If it's something within the division that I've been working with then the transition will be quicker and smoother. But, if it's not, then I'll have to get them up to speed on everything and probably escort them around for a few days. The good thing is I can come to the States for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but not New Year's. If you don't want to spend it in the States, then we can see about you coming here instead."

Rory was silent for a few seconds. It was so much better than they had wished it would be. They thought Mitchum would certainly throw Logan out immediately. But, for him to accept his terms surprised her. So, she had to be willing to wait a bit longer, though it certainly wasn't in her nature. She had to understand that things move at their own pace in the business world.

"Why don't we do Thanksgiving here and Christmas in England. If we do that, we can spend the holiday in Hartford with family and hopefully find somewhere to live. Then, when we're in London we can go through your apartment to see about what we want to keep and ship and what we want to get rid of."

"I think I like that idea, Ace. Eat at your grandparent's?"

"Yes, I know they would love to spend the time with both of us. Do you think I should see about inviting Honor to spend it with us?"

Logan was silent for a few moments. "Yeah, ask them. Once we have an answer, I can call to invite her and see if she wants to come. I imagine if we get an invite to the Huntzberger dinner we won't actually make it to the food portion."

They continued to chat for a few minutes about various things, including what they wanted in their Hartford house, before they hung up. Checking the clock, Rory noticed that it was almost time for dinner and went into the bathroom to freshen up. She washed her face, brushed her hair and changed into something a little nicer for dinner since she knew her Grandmother was funny about clothing for dinner. That done, she made her way downstairs.

She had just reached the bottom of the staircase and was walking into the sitting room to join her grandparents when the doorbell rang. She smiled at her grandparents and accepted a club soda from them before sitting down on the couch. At this point, all three Gilmore's turned to face the front door where they could hear a commotion.

"What on Earth?" Emily asked, rising to go towards the door. She was stopped short by the appearance of Shira Huntzberger stepping into the sitting room.

"Richard, Emily, lovely to see you. Rory," Shira greeted.

Rory sighed, knowing why Shira was here.

Emily and Richard greeted her back. "What are you doing here, Shira?" Richard asked, dispensing with the pleasantries.

"I'm here to talk with this tart."

Emily gasped as if she had been shocked while Richard's face clouded at the insult. Before either of them could react, Rory interjected, "I assume you're referring to me. Won't you please have a seat?" Rory indicated a seat on the couch opposite from her.

Taken aback by the politeness coming from Rory, Shire did as Rory asked. She was silent for several beats as Richard and Emily retook their seats on their respective chairs. "I would like to speak with Rory alone," Shira stated once she regained her equilibrium.

"I'm sorry, Shira, but that won't be possible. You've barged in on a family dinner and I won't allow you to dictate what happens in my grandparent's house. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of them."

Shira's mouth settled in a hard line, which in turn made her age several years. It allowed Rory to just see the toll that her life has taken on her. It was obvious she had some work done to maintain her looks. Knowing that she smoked man cigarettes in a day and the stress she probably felt being married to Mitchum, Rory felt a little bit of pity rise up within her. It didn't change her opinion of the woman, but she felt like she might understand her a bit better.

"Fine. I want to end this charade you are engaged in with Logan."

"What charade is that, Shira?" Rory asked.

"This…this…marriage! I cringe to even call it that."

Rory cocked an eyebrow at her. "I'm not sure I'd call my marriage to Logan a charade. I could call it many things, but that isn't one of them."

Shira rolled her eyes. "Please. It's obvious that this is just a ploy by you to get your claws back into him. He's engaged to a lovely French girl and they are meant for each other."

"A ploy?" Rory asked, playing dumb. "Grandpa, can you go get something for me from your safe?"

Richard nodded and left the room. While they waited for him to return, the three women sat in silence. Rory could tell that Shira was uncomfortable with no talking, but Rory wasn't about to put her out of her misery. Rory well remembered her Grandmother telling her about her confrontation with Shira the USO themed DAR benefit when she was taking a break from Yale. She imagined Shira remembered it as well.

After several minutes, Richard returned to the sitting room and handed Rory a document. "Thank you, Grandpa."

"Of course, Rory," he said as he sat down again.

"Shira, what I have here is a copy of the marriage license. You can look over it as long as you'd like. In fact, this can be your copy if you'd like to have a lawyer look over it as I have several in the safe."

With that, Rory handed Shira the license and watched as she looked over it. She closely watched the older woman for indications of what she was thinking while she looked over it. Eventually Shira looked up at Rory. "I would like to take this with me, since you offered. I would like our family lawyer to look over it."

"Of course," Rory said. "I completely understand. In your shoes, I would also want to make sure it was legitimate. Of course, you'll discover that it is. If you look closely, you'll notice who our witnesses were."

Shira looked at the document again and looked over at Emily and Richard. "You two knew this entire time?"

"Yes, we did. They told us of their plans right after they made them," Emily gloated. "And, it was lovely. I have pictures if you'd like to see them sometime. I think I might even have a video of it."

They lapsed into silence again. When it was obvious that Shira had nothing else to say, Rory rose. "Shira, if that's all, I would ask that you please leave so we can all return to our evenings. I know dinner will be ready soon and I'm sure you have your own plans with this evening."

Shira nodded and rose. She murmured her good byes to Richard and Emily before Rory escorted her to the door. After she opened the door and before Shira walked out, Rory stopped her and said, "I realize this is a shock to you. Believe, it took me a bit of getting used to once we were married. But, Logan and I are happy, the happiest we've been in a while. It didn't happen the way we either wanted or intended, but it did happen. I would like for you to eventually accept our marriage, even if you're not exactly happy with it. Especially since we just found out we're expecting our first child together."

Without a word, Shira walked out and Rory shut the door behind her. Once the door was shut, Rory sagged against it. She was surprised and proud of herself for handling that so well. It was obvious that her grandmother had rubbed off on her to an extent since she hadn't completely devolved into rambling like she might have done before.

She made her way back into the sitting room and reclaimed her seat. "Well, that went better than I thought," she said as she picked her soda up and sipped.

"I'll say," Richard told her. "I saw a little bit of my mother in you then. I also saw a little bit of your Grandmother there. Gilmore's have a backbone, I'll tell you that."

Rory smiled her thanks. "Yes, Rory," Emily stated. "You handled that better than I would have I think. I can't believe the nerve of that woman! To come in here and try to start something, saying that you're using Logan. Anyone that spends any time with either of you knows that the two of you are made for each other."

"Now, Emily. You and I obviously see that. But, remember last time they were together? His family didn't like her and Lorelai wasn't all too thrilled with him either. So, I'm sure it'll take them a bit to adjust to the idea of them being together."

Emily sighed, but didn't say anything. In the lull in conversation, Rory changed the subject to Thanksgiving. "What are your plans for Thanksgiving?"

"Well, we'll invite you and Logan, of course, as I imagine you'll still be with us then. We'll say something to your mother and Luke. Other than that, I'm not certain. Why? Is there someone you'd like to invite?" Emily asked.

"Well, Logan and I were talking. We will definitely be joining you for Thanksgiving. I think we'll be in London for Christmas. Anyways, we were talking about seeing if you would be okay inviting his sister Honor and her family. She's married and has one child."

"Of course!" Richard said. "You can definitely invite them. We would love to meet another normal Huntzberger."

Rory smiled. "Thank you. Honor is definitely normal. You don't have to worry about her acting like either her mother or father."

From there, the conversation moved over several topics. Unfortunately, Rory couldn't help but feel worried about the upcoming holiday since Lorelai would be invited to it. She wondered if she would actually come to her parent's house since she and Logan would be there. She wasn't sure if she wanted her mother to come or not. On the one hand, she wanted to spend the holiday with her. But, she also didn't want to have to deal with being frozen out either. Sighing internally, Rory decided to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and try to enjoy the time with her family.

—

A week and a half later, Rory was waiting at the Hartford Airport for Logan's plane to land. Luckily, since they had a jet for the family's use, he was able to fly directly into the small regional airport. It also meant she didn't have to deal with paparazzi following her inside. Since the news of their marriage broke, any time Rory went into public, she was bombarded with reporters thrusting microphones into her face and cameramen taking her picture from a distance. She couldn't walk into a grocery store without being faced with her visage throughout Hartford and New York. She definitely hasn't accepted or gotten used to the attention, but she had gotten to the point that she knew to not leave the house looking rough so that she didn't get to see herself for the next week or so dealing with questions about her health.

Since the airport was private, Rory was waiting by herself in the hangar the plane would be parked in. Though it was small, the lounge inside was lavish and Rory found herself sitting on a plush leather couch drinking a Coke while she waited. She even had access to cable and was flipping through the stations, though nothing caught her eye. She was definitely feeling too jittery about Logan's impending arrival to sit still. But, pacing wouldn't fix anything either. So, she was sitting as patiently as possible in the lounge.

Finally, a worker came in to tell her that Logan's plane was coming in for landing, which meant he would be with her within 30 minutes. She walked over to the window that looked out over the runway and watched as his plane landed and taxied to the hangar. Once she couldn't see it anymore, she left the lounge to walk into the hangar proper. She stood and watched as the plane parked and the Customs and Border Control agent boarded the plane to check Logan's passport.

What seemed like hours later, the agent left and Logan de-planed after him quickly. She smiled and refrained from running into his arms. In fact, she was quite proud of herself for walking towards him sedately. Of course, that was thrown out the window when he gathered her in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're here," she whispered in his ear.

"Me too, Ace. Me too."


	12. Chapter 11

Rory was so thankful Logan was able to come to the States a week before Thanksgiving. It gave them a chance to regroup from the announcement together and make appointments for homes they wanted to view in Hartford. Not to mention, her grandparents were thrilled to host them both. She and her grandmother were able to get the renovations done to her old room and actually expand it some so that she and Logan wouldn't be on top of each other.

What was once a decent size bedroom with an ensuite bathroom was transformed into a mini-suite. The bathroom was expanded to be able to accommodate two people, what was the bedroom was framed and turned into a large walk-in closet. The area in front of the window was turned into a small office for either her or Logan to use if needed. Part of a neighboring bedroom was framed for a sitting room for the two of them complete with plasma TV and 5.1 Dolby surround sound. The rest of the bedroom was turned into a lavish bedroom. Rory stopped her grandmother before she had a balcony added and a nursery decorated.

She and Logan were very happy with the changes and made sure to thank Richard and Emily for them. While they hoped they wouldn't make too much use of it at the moment, they realized while looking at the listings for houses in Hartford that they might have to stay with them longer than they really wanted.

The Monday before Thanksgiving found them making their way to a real estate agent's office to meet with her about potential listings they were interested in. Upon entering the office, they immediately liked it. It was tastefully decorated in neutral grays with accent pieces scattered throughout the room in the form of a red couch and eclectic artwork.

Her receptionist welcomed them to the office and they took a seat to wait for her to be ready. After several minutes, the agent came out. "Hi, I'm Vivian Morgan. You must be Logan and Rory. It's so nice to meet the two of you," she said as she extended her arm for a handshake from each of them.

"Yes, thank you for meeting with us. We're excited to discuss some properties with you," Logan told her.

"Alright, well, why don't we come back to my office so we can talk about what you're looking for. Would either of you like something to drink? Coffee, tea, water?"

They both stated they were fine and followed her down the short hallway to her office. Vivian's office was furnished much like her reception area was: neutral with pops of color. Vivian indicated for Rory and Logan to sit on a couch that matched the one in the lobby and sat across from them in a matching arm chair.

"So, it seems like the two of you have discussed some potential properties already. Before we get into those, can you tell me a little bit about what you're looking for in a house?"

"Well, we want something that we can grow into because we're already expecting our first child and have plans to have at least one more. But, we don't want something that's too big either," Rory started.

Vivian nodded as Logan piped in, "We also want something that's more move in ready than not. Since we're already expecting, we don't want to spend a lot of time dealing with renovations outside of general painting and maybe some floor replacement if needed."

"What about a budget?"

Rory and Logan looked at each other. Logan answered, "Money isn't really an option and we're willing to spend whatever it takes to get us our dream home. That being said, we don't want it to be super lavish and overly expensive just so we can get one of those monstrosity mansions in the rich section."

"I guess this is where I should ask you about the houses that you've already looked at and marked for possible viewing."

Rory reached into the small tote she brought with her to extract an accordion file. She quickly opened it and pulled out MLS printouts she and Logan decided on over the previous few days. As she handed them to Vivian, she said, "You'll notice that these are in a nice section of Hartford, but they're definitely not overly lavish. We've decided we like the idea of at least 4 bedrooms and bathrooms with the addition of a study or library that can be used as such, a living room, and decent size kitchen. The rest of it is somewhat negotiable."

Vivian took them and flipped quickly. All of the houses were within a mile or two of each other and all were within easy driving distance of Emily and Richard's house. "Well, most of these are available for viewing at any point. I just need to call the agents and make sure we can go by and get the key out of the box on the door without disturbing the owners. If you don't mind waiting for me in the lobby, I'll see if we can get started.

Rory and Logan made their way back to reception. After waiting about ten minutes, Vivian came back out dressed in her coat and with her purse. "Guys, we're good to go. Do you want to ride with me? Or would you prefer to drive yourselves?"

After a short discussion, they decided to drive separately just in case something came up and they needed to leave quickly. The first two houses they viewed, while beautiful, weren't what Logan and Rory were looking for. They were through each of them within 20 minutes. The third one was slightly better, but not by much. By the end of the listings they chose, they hadn't found a house they could be happy with.

Before paring ways with Vivian, they all agreed to view more listings to see what else could be found. They tentatively planned to meet at Vivian's office again before viewing others. Leaving the last house they viewed, Rory and Logan felt slightly dejected.

"I was really hopeful about some of those houses," Rory told him as they made their way back to her grandparent's house.

"I know. I was too. But, we also don't need to settle. Those houses were amazing! But I just can't see us raising a family in any other them."

Rory sighed. "Yeah. I hope we're able to find a few more tonight that we can view tomorrow. I know Grandma and Grandpa don't mind if we stay with them for a bit, but I don't want us to overstay our welcome either. I'm ready for the two of us to be able to move into our own space and finally start our lives together."

Logan reached for her left hand and threaded his fingers with hers. "I'm right there with you. But, we don't need to rush it either. We should take advantage of this time to really find a house that suits our wants and needs to make sure we're in a house we can see ourselves staying in for a while."

Rory smiled and squeezed his hand. "I know. I'm just so impatient! I'm ready to find that house, buy it, decorate it, and be settled!"

Logan laughed. "Soon enough we'll be there."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, each of them debating internally about the house they wanted so badly to find.

—

Thanksgiving Day dawned painfully bright and cold. Rory squinted at the bright sunshine streaming in through the window's of her and Logan's room when she opened the curtains. "Well, at least the weather doesn't match what could possibly a very rough day," Rory said over her shoulder to Logan who was still laying in bed.

She heard Logan get out of bed and start walking. A few moments later, he wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin on her shoulder, gazing out the window with her. "True," he finally said, "it could be dreary and snowing, making today a day where no went out. Then we could cancel Thanksgiving and no one would have to come and ruin our wonderful life."

Rory laughed. "If only, right?"

Logan squeezed her tighter in response. They stood there for several minutes, gazing at the falling leaves in the brilliant fall sunshine before Rory sighed and broke away. "I would love to stay like that forever, but we need to get ready for the day. I don't know what possessed my Grandmother to decide this was the year to do a mid-afternoon Thanksgiving instead of her normal evening one."

Logan shrugged. "Maybe it's because they have children coming this year? And, let's be honest, you've been a lot more tired recently."

Rory shrugged, "I don't think that's it, but who knows. I'm glad it's earlier, but at the same time I'd like more time to prepare for my mom."

Logan grimaced. Things with Lorelai hadn't improved in the week between her wedding and now. She initially refused to come to Thanksgiving, but Emily put her foot down and swore she would drive to Stars Hollow herself to drive her to Hartford if she didn't get herself there. Rory had been there for that conversation and was immensely saddened to hear how vehemently her mother fought against coming to the dinner because she would be there. It made her second guess spending the holiday in the States instead of London.

Her grandmother and Logan both reassured her that it would be fine and they would have to face Lorelai and her disapproval eventually. So, here she was, carefully picking out an outfit for one of the hardest days of her life thus far. She selected a pretty burgundy dress with a lace overlay and paired it with a short pair of black wedges. She curled her hair and pinned some of the front pieces back. After finishing her make-up, she paused to evaluate herself. She looked a little tired, which was normal, but she thought she looked pretty good.

Before leaving the vanity, she looked down at her left hand. Upon his arrival in Hartford, Logan presented Rory with a diamond and wedding band. She was surprised as she didn't feel the need to wear a ring since it had already been two years since they got married, so it was nothing to wear a ring. In fact, she protested upon receipt of it. Eventually, Logan got her to agree to wear the ring because it was much smaller than someone would normally give in their social situation. In fact, she had grown to love it.

It was a round cut diamond set into the band almost. It was surrounded by smaller diamonds on a braided band. The wedding band was rather plain and matched her ring. Logan got himself the matching male band for it and wore it on his left hand. They joked occasionally about wearing the rings and getting used to the physical reminders of their marriage.

Doing one last check in the mirror, she made her way into their sitting room and saw Logan was already dressed. He was in a navy blue suit paired with a tie that matched her dress and a white dress shirt. "Looking pretty good there, Mr. Huntzberger."

Logan smirked. "You're looking pretty good as well, Mrs. Huntzberger."

Rory blushed. She hadn't changed her name fully yet, but the paperwork was submitted. She just had to wait until after the holiday to go to the DMV to get her name changed on her license, which would make it official. Logan pulled her to him and placed a light kiss on her lips. "Are you ready to face the music?"

Rory nodded and they made their way out of their room and downstairs to the sitting room. It was still a bit early in the day, so no one else had arrived. Logan made himself a drink and poured Rory a club soda. Richard and Emily joined them after a few minutes and he made their chosen drinks as well.

The four of them sat and chatted for several minutes until the doorbell rang. Emily rose to get it and returned a few minutes later with Honor and her family in tow. Rory and Logan rose to hug her. "I'm so glad to see you!" she gushed as she hugged them. "When Logan told me you were married, I couldn't believe it. Then, when the announcement came out, I realized he wasn't pulling my leg!"

Honor introduced Josh and their son Henry to Richard and Emily before settling on a love seat. Conversation was easy within the group and Rory felt herself starting to relax. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all. The doorbell rang again and her happy thoughts went away. Logan reached over and squeezed her thigh, trying to reassure her. She smiled wanly at him and turned her attention towards the door where she could hear her mother and Luke chatting with Emily.

Rory and Logan rose as Emily brought Lorelai and Luke into the room. Emily performed the introductions for Honor and her family. Rory moved forward to hug Luke. Upon parting, she wasn't sure what to do with her mother who was standing there not looking at her and had her arms crossed. Deflating a little, Rory welcomed her and stepped back to allow Logan a chance to shake Luke's hand. He also stuck his hand out for Lorelai to shake, but she studiously ignored him as well.

"Lorelai! You're being rude!" Richard chastised her.

Lorelai shrugged, but didn't say anything. Rory caught Luke looking at Lorelai from the corner of his eyes, looking confused. She had a feeling Luke hadn't been filled in on the things that were going on in her life in the same way she filled Lorelai in.

After everyone sat down, they all sat there in an awkward silence. Rory wanted to break it, but wasn't sure what to say to put them all at ease. Eventually, it was Luke who did it. "So, I'll officially tell you both congratulations. I know I knew about the marriage beforehand, but we haven't talked since the announcement came out. I'm glad you both were able to go public."

Lorelai snorted and everyone looked at her. Seeming to realize that, she said, "What?"

"You snorted," Emily stated, looking displeased.

"So, I'm not allowed to make noise? I'm supposed to sit here silently?"

"Of course not, Lorelai. But you haven't spoken a word the entire time, so for you to make a noise so suddenly shocked all of us I think."

"Well, wasn't it you that taught me that if I don't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all?"

Emily rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. Instead she turned her attention to Logan and Rory. "We haven't had a chance to really talk this week."

Lorelai snorted again, which Emily chose to ignore. "You were looking at houses earlier this week."

"Yeah, we viewed quite a few houses. We found two that are serious contenders, but neither fully hit our list of things," Logan told her.

"What things? Like 20 bedrooms and two pools? What about a separate wing so you don't have to deal with anyone?" Lorelai muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something?" Logan asked her, nonplussed by her comments.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "No, not a word."

Continuing, Logan said, "We have two more lined up to view Monday. From there, we're hoping maybe we'll see one we really like or try to decide if we should offer on one of the others. We really wanted one that we didn't have to make renovations to so we could get settled before the baby comes. But, it's looking like we might have to do some remodeling before we can move in based on what we've seen so far. If we had more time, we might consider building something."

Luke interjected, "Baby? You're pregnant?"

Rory glanced at Lorelai who was studiously avoiding everyone's eyes. "Yeah, Logan and I are pregnant. We thought you knew."

"No, why would I know?"

Rory looked at Lorelai again before saying, "I told mom a few weeks ago when you got married. I thought she would have told you."

Before Luke could respond, Lorelai broke in, "No, why would I tell him something like that? This isn't something we should be celebrating. You've finally gone over to the dark side."

"The dark side? What is this? _Star Wars_? We're not in a battle for the galaxy, Mom. Logan and I are having a baby. This is something that we're thrilled about."

Lorelaid scoffed. "Oh, please."

"Why is this so hard for you to believe?" Rory burst. "I just don't understand it! I could tell you weren't thrilled when I told you we were married, but you seemed to be pushing through it and seemed happy for me. Then, when I told you I was pregnant, you just lost it and froze me out. But, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You didn't the same thing when I dropped out of Yale. Instead of supporting me when I needed you most you instead kicked me out and wouldn't listen to a single thing I told you."

"Because, Rory! This isn't you! You aren't the person that hides things from her mother and marries rich, blonde playboys that don't have their lives together! You're the person that is so driven and smart that you don't need a man to define who you are!"

Rory felt like she had been slapped. "So, you think that by marrying Logan I've given up on my own dreams and aspirations?"

"It's obvious! You're living with my parents and not doing anything related to your degree. You're already becoming the Stepford, or should I say Hartford, wife that waits at home for her rich husband that constantly cheats on her, unable to break free because that would mean she's lost social standing."

Before Rory could reply, Logan interrupted. "Do you know anything about my life, Lorelai?"

"Please, I know your type just by looking at you. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Your every whim was catered to and you weren't held accountable for anything in your life. The only reason you have your job is because Daddy gave it to you."

"While part of what you've said is true, not everything is. Yes, I was born with a silver spoon, but is that any different than you? You were born into this same life. The only difference is you decided to leave it."

Lorelai rolled her eyes, but didn't respond. Logan continued, "And, yes, I have this job because of my father. But, it's not because of my father that I've increased our profits exponentially in the last few years. Or that we've expanded into digital media, which has made our market shares sore. In fact, we're doing so well digitally, that we're making a new division of HPG that I've been in charge of setting up and hiring the workers for. If anything, I would say that I've added more to this company that my father hadn't even thought of."

"Please. I'm sure your father has covered your tail more times that you'll admit to anyone, especially Rory. She always sees the best in people and you're no different. She doesn't want to see the worst in you and that you'll just lead her to destruction. I mean, look at the yacht incident. If she hadn't been dating you then, she never would have had that internship or stolen that yacht. It's because of you that she dropped out of Yale and we didn't speak for 6 months!"

"No, Mom. It's because of you we didn't talk for that long. You shut me out! You refused to believe that I had anything to do with my own actions at that point. You chose to believe that your perfect daughter, who is far from perfect, could do any wrong. It's no different than when I dated Dean or Jess. It's easier to blame someone else than me for whatever went wrong in my life."

Before Lorelai could respond, Richard interjected. "Lorelai, I think you either need to get off this topic or you need to leave. Take your pick."

Without answering, Lorelai stood up and walked towards the door. Luke stayed sitting. Lorelai must have realized that Luke wasn't following her and came back into the room. "Come on, Luke. We're leaving."

"I am not leaving. I haven't seen Rory in weeks and I've just found out that she's pregnant. I would like to spend the day with her."

"Luke, come on. There's no need to stay here."

Luke looked at Lorelai, but didn't say anything. Lorelai sighed. "Fine, then at least give me the keys so I can go home. I'll come back to get you."

"I don't think I'll be doing that either. We came here to spend time with family and I intend to do just that."

Rory could tell her mother didn't like Luke's reply to her. "I can just call a cab then."

Emily interjected, "Where are you going to find a cab company that will be willing to drive you to Stars Hollow today, Lorelai?"

Lorelai's face darkened and Rory thought she looked like a petulant child. She stood there and glared at everyone. "Lorelai, I have a suggestion for you," Richard stated. "I think you need to think long and hard about what's going on right now. As you can see, Logan and Rory are quite happy with their lives. They are happy, they are expecting, and they are buying a house in preparation for starting their lives together. Everyone is happy for them or at least accepting of their choices. I think you need to consider the crossroads you find yourself at. If you're not careful, you might find yourself in our shoes where almost 16 years go by without you knowing your own grandchild or grandchildren, as the case may be. Do you want that to happen? Can you really see yourself acting like this for the foreseeable future in the face of you being wrong?"

Everyone was silent as they watched Lorelai fight with herself. Rory could see the battle going on within her mother. It was obvious that she didn't want to listen to the wisdom of her father's words, but it was also obvious that she couldn't win the argument today. She would have to at least play nice to get through the day and get home where she could release whatever inner-feelings and thoughts she was repressing inside. Finally, she reached her decision and sat down. "I'll play nice today, but don't think this changes my mind either. And don't expect me to participate in anything."

"That's fine, Lorelai. It's not like you're a willing participant at any other time. How should this be any different?" Emily asked as the maid came in to let them know dinner was ready.

Several very long and tense hours later, the Gilmores, Rory, and Logan said their goodbyes to everyone. It definitely wasn't pleasant and they all collapsed onto a seat in the sitting room when they were by themselves.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what the problem is with Lorelai. Why is she so resistant to this marriage?"

"I think she's holding on to the idea of me as an international correspondent and the ideas she has about Logan from when we were still in college. Honestly, I haven't done a lot to change her opinion of him in the intervening years. I think I might have to man, or woman up as the case may be, and see her. I think it'll be another battle, but I think if I don't go see her, this whole situation won't improve."

Logan grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips for a light kiss. "Whatever you decide to do, we can do it together. I don't want you taking this on by yourself."

Rory wanted to argue, but realized the futility of it. She nodded and instead and laid her head on her shoulder. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent talking to her grandparents and reading in her room. Even though the day wasn't the best it could have been, she felt like some progress had been made with her mother that would allow their next encounter to hopefully go better.


	13. Chapter 12

It was now the beginning of February and Rory hadn't yet talked to her mother about the issues they were facing. After Thanksgiving, she and Logan agreed she should hold off until after Christmas to help with the comfort of the family. They worried Rory trying to force Lorelai to face whatever her issues were would make the rest of the family suffer for it. So, they went through a tense Christmas season complete with Christmas party and no present from Lorelai, even though Logan and Rory made sure to give both her and Luke something.

After the New Year, Rory attempted several times to call Lorelai and even tried to visit her in Stars Hollow at work and at home. But, she would always find a way to be busy and dodge Rory. The most awkward one had been when Rory had parked by Luke's, stopping to see him before walking through town to find her Mom at home, where Luke assured her Lorelai was. Unfortunately, when she was almost to the house, Lorelai came careening around the corner and passed Rory without a sideways glance. Rory never did figure out how Lorelai figured out she was coming to see her.

Because of this, it was the beginning of February and Luke worked with her and Logan to get a day where Lorelai wouldn't be able to escape. He even brought the entire town on it by talking to Taylor and staging an elaborate ruse to make the entire town unavailable to Lorelai. Luke and Lorelai were having lunch at The Dragonfly and Logan and Rory would be meeting them, a fact Lorelai was unaware of.

In preparation for the conversation, Rory scoured the internet for articles about Logan's successes with HPG and even went so far as to contact PR at the company to get their internal press releases about the same thing. She had Odette write a letter to Lorelai, which neither Logan or Rory had read. It was private and only Odette and hopefully Lorelai would know its contents. Their hope was that with the proof of Logan's growing up and successes would at least soften Lorelai towards their marriage.

Upon arriving at The Dragonfly, Logan and Rory sat outside for a few minutes, gathering themselves for the coming conversation. "I still can't believe how dead the town was!" Rory said as she checked the printouts she had.

"I know. I'm so used to it being a bustling town. It was so odd to see most of the stores closed. And, did you see Kirk at the end of the driveway with the backhoe? I can't believe Taylor agreed to block the driveway. What about the short cut to Luke's? How are they stopping her from trying to go that way?"

"From what Taylor told me, he's got the path cordoned off with signs stating massive flooding in the area. I'm not sure she'll believe it. But, I guess we'll see."

"What's to stop her from getting one of the horses and going cross country?"

Rory laughed. "You obviously don't know Lorelai Gilmore. She likes to look at the horses, but she does not ride them. But, in the event she decides to get brave, the tack room has been locked. And the stable manager made sure he has the only key to it. Mom won't try to ride without making sure the horse is properly saddled."

Logan nodded. "Well, you ready?" he asked, looking at her.

"As I'll ever be."

They got out of the car. Upon standing, Rory smoothed her dress and cupped her tiny baby bump. Even though she was about 5 months along, her bump still hadn't popped so you couldn't tell she was pregnant unless you looked at her from the side or she wore something that hugged her bump. Gathering their things, they made their way up the steps and into the lobby of the inn. Michel was managing the desk.

Upon seeing them, he broke into a rare smile. "How are you? Oh! Look at you!"

He came from behind the desk and grasped Rory's hands. It was still a little weird to get used to this version of Michel. It seems having a child of his own helped to mellow him some.

"It's good to see you also!" Rory told him, leaning in to kiss him on each cheek. Once they separated, he and Logan shook hands.

"Well, I won't keep you too long, though you definitely owe me a long girl's chat. Your mother and Luke are in the dining room."

Rory thanked him and she and Logan made their way into the dining room. Lorelai's back was to them, so Luke saw them come in and rose to meet them. She heard Lorelai ask what Luke was doing before turning to see what Luke was looking at. Her mouth dropped open in shock and then quickly clouded over. She turned back around, "What are they doing here?"

Luke sighed. "Lorelai, it's time that this came to an end. You are losing out on precious time with your only daughter who is pregnant with your first grandchild. You acting like this isn't you! The Lorelai Gilmore-Danes I know wouldn't act like this."

Lorelai huffed, but didn't say anything else. Luke motioned Logan and Rory forward. Logan pulled the chair beside Lorelai out for Rory and helped her get settled before sitting down himself. As soon as they sat down, a server placed the lunch special in front of the four of them. There was an uncomfortable silence before Luke broke it by saying, "Rory, it's been a bit since I've seen you last. I can see a little bump lurking under that dress."

Rory smiled and placed her hand on her belly. "Yeah, I think I just woke up one day and it was there! It was a bit of a surprise to be honest."

"How have you been? It seems like you've had an easy pregnancy."

"Yeah, I've been doing well. Nothing to report that's bad. I seem to be having a textbook pregnancy, complete with cravings. Luckily, I have someone that's willing to go out in the middle of the night to a 24 hour store to get whatever it is that I want and we don't have in the house."

Rory reached over and placed her hand over Logan's, smiling at him. Logan smiled back and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be. Besides, I just look at this as ammunition for teasing when you're no longer pregnant and gag at some of your concoctions."

Rory playfully slapped his arm. "You will not! You love me too much to do that!"

They laughed and turned to face Lorelai and Luke again. Lorelai had a weird look on her face while Luke was smiling at them. "I am honestly so happy for you. I might not have liked you at first, Logan, but I can see that you've really turned your life around and that you're perfect for Rory here."

"Thank you, sir. You don't know how much that means to me. I know you've been a father to Rory for a lot of her life and it means a lot to know you can accept me, even with my previous indiscretions and flaws."

They lapsed into silence and ate for several minutes with no comment between anyone. Rory could tell when Lorelai had finally reached the point she couldn't be silent anymore. "I can't sit here anymore. I want to know what you're doing here."

Rory calmly replied, "I thought Luke's statement when we got her was perfect. I think this…feud, for lack of a better word, has gone on long enough, don't you? You're my mom and I want to share my pregnancy with you. Grandma and Honor has been great with any questions I've had, but I want to be able to talk to my mom about the different things going on in my life. I shouldn't want to call my mom and then remember that she's not talking to me because she can't agree with the choices that I've made. And they are my choices. I chose to marry Logan. I chose to keep it a secret. I chose to not be a roving reporter anymore. I chose, with Logan, to go public with our marriage. I've made all these decisions with help from Logan when needed. I wasn't coerced by anyone. Rory Gilmore Huntzberger made these choices, no one else."

Rory fell silent and gauged her mother's reaction to her spiel. Rory feared that it would be a repeat of Yale and that the only way she and her mother would be on good terms again would be if she agreed to whatever Lorelai thought was right. Unfortunately, Rory didn't think that would be happening here. No matter what, Rory wouldn't throw away the amazing life she had with the love of her life to appease her mother.

Lorelai finally said, "I can't agree with your marriage and the secret you kept from me."

Rory's face fell at Lorelai's admission. Lorelai continued, "However, I am willing to try and push past it to be in your life. I remember what it was like when you were growing up when your grandmother and I were at odds. It was hard and uncomfortable, placing you in an awkward position. I don't want that for you or your child."

Rory smiled, "Thank you, Mom. That means so much to me."

Lorelai held a hand up. "I'm not done. I have a few other things to say. I just can't get past you hiding your marriage from me. If it was a few weeks or a month I could probably push through. But, it was two years. Two years, Rory! It's hard for me to get past that. So, I will come to family events and I will be pleasant. And, I will be there if you need anything because I am your mother and I love you. But I'm not entirely certain I can deal with Logan. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to."

"Lorelai!" Luke exclaimed, looking horrified at her admission and subsequent revelation. "You can't be serious?"

"I am. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to deal with Logan in any capacity that is verging on polite."

Logan butted in at this point. "I understand this can't be easy for you, Lorelai. But, unless I'm wrong, Rory and I are a package deal now. Correct me if I'm wrong Rory, but you'll be hard pressed to get one without the other. Yes, there will be times that you and Rory will be able to hang out and do Gilmore girl things. But, there will also be times you'll be forced to deal with me. I won't miss out on time with my family, of which you are now a part of, just because you can't get over whatever preconceived notion about me and my family you have in your head."

Rory nodded. "He's right, Mom. When Logan and I got married, we both agreed that we would be in this together, all the way. All or nothing. So far, that's worked pretty well for us. It hasn't been easy being separated and now trying to make our lives work together, but it's what we agreed on. And, we're so deliriously happy. While I don't need you to be in the same place, I need you to at least respect my decision here."

Lorelai was silent for several moments. Eventually while looking like she sucked a lemon, she said, "While I don't agree, I see I'll have to respect your decision here."

Rory reached over and placed her hand on her mom's. "Thank you, you really don't know how happy you've made me."

Lorelai placed a hand on top of Rory's and gave a wan smile. "I'm glad, kid."

The rest of lunch, though still tense, went well with Rory filling Lorelai in on the things she had missed so far with the pregnancy. She also filled her in on the house and she had Logan ended up buying.

"Yeah, it wasn't really what we wanted since it was a little smaller than we were hoping. But, the price was entirely too good to pass up. Coupled with the things that had to be addressed, we were able to get them down another $20,000."

Lorelai gasped. "How the heck did you accomplish that? I should have had you negotiate for me!"

Rory laughed. "Ask Logan. He handled all of that. He had an itemized list of all the things the inspector found with the house that had to be addressed for it to be livable. The people weren't happy, but they gave in since the house had been sitting there for ages."

Lorelai was taken aback with Rory's admission. "Well, good job Logan. I might have to call you to help me with any negotiations for any future properties."

"Anytime, Lorelai," Logan told her.

Rory smiled and continued, "Once we closed, we got a contractor out to get started on the addition. It's taken a bit longer than we hoped. We wanted to be in by the New Year, but because of the horrible snow we had, they couldn't do a lot of the framework."

"Do you have a timeline for when you could be in?" Luke asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.

Logan answered, "We're hoping by the end of this month or, at the absolute latest, the end of next. We want to be in before Rory progresses too much further into her pregnancy. We want to be able to unpack and get fully settled before little baby comes."

"Understandable," Luke said, nodding sagely.

"Speaking of baby. Do we know what we're having yet?" Lorelai asked, looking between Rory and Logan.

They smiled at each other. "We do, but we haven't revealed it yet."

"Why not? I have to know what to buy for him or her!"

Rory laughed and then quickly sobered. "We were holding off in hopes you and I would make up so we could do a gender reveal party."

The levity immediately left Lorelai's face. "Wow, this really affected you, didn't it kid?"

Unable to speak, Rory just nodded. "Well," Lorelai continued, "I'm here now. So, let's plan a party!"

The levity made Rory laugh and she quickly agreed. Before leaving that day, she and Logan agreed on a party for the following weekend. Lorelai assured them she would handle all the planning and that between Sookie catering and Michel helping her plan, everything would be perfect. All she required was a list of people she needed to contact about the party itself.

Once they finished eating, Lorelai walked them out and to their car. Before they could say goodbye, Lorelai looked confused while gazing down The Dragonfly's driveway. "Can anyone tell me why Kirk is sitting in a large piece of machinery at the end of my driveway looking terrified at the sight of me?"

In lieu of a response, Logan and Rory burst into laughter. Rory hugged her mom goodbye and Logan shook her hand. They climbed into their car and waved as they drove off. Logan saluted Kirk, who returned it and spoke into a walkie talkie. By the time they reached Stars Hollow again, the town had come back to life. Rory waved at Babette and Patty as they drove through.

Once they cleared the town limits, Rory glanced at Logan. "That went better than I thought."

Logan nodded. "I agree. I thought she would put up more of a struggle with the whole thing."

"Honestly, it's surprising. I remember when I dropped out how adamant she was about not giving in until I agreed with her. I'm a bit worried that it was too easy."

Logan glanced at her and reached over to grab her hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's not a fluke and your mom and genuine in her desire to bury the proverbial hatchet. I can't see her lying about it today to just turn around and completely blow it soon. I think she realizes it wouldn't go well for her if that was the case."

Rory nodded. "Well, since we have her taken care of, we need to start concentrating on your parents now."

Logan laughed. "You don't have to worry about my dad. He thinks the sun shines out your ass. It's my mom that you have to worry about."

Rory sighed. "I know. Your dad has been pleasant whenever I've had to talk to him. I can't believe I haven't seen your mother since she dropped into the house when our marriage announcement went out."

Logan's sigh matched her. "I know what you mean. I think my dad must have talked to her and threatened something, maybe her 'spa' treatments if she didn't at least superficially act like she agreed. I'm sure whenever we're finally invited over for dinner we'll get an earful."

"Ugh, don't even mention the possibility of a dinner at the Huntzberger mansion. I still have nightmares from the first one," Rory said, shuddering.

"Don't worry, Ace," Logan said, squeezing her hand. "This time will be 10x better. This time, you're married and carrying the 'Huntzberger heir.' There's not a lot that my mom can say to you because nothing she says will change anything. I love you and our unborn child. And, I'm in it for the long haul."

Rory happily sighed. "And that, mister, is why I married you."


	14. Chapter 13

The following weekend found Logan and Rory back at The Dragonfly getting ready for their gender reveal party. They booked a room at the Inn so they could stay as long as they wished and spend some quality time with Rory's family since they had already missed out on so much time with Lorelai and Luke. Rory knew it was the right idea when she was tired leading up to the afternoon party. Logan forced her to lay down before the party started so she wouldn't pass out during the party or be forced to end her evening early.

Upon waking from her nap, Rory could tell that it was the right thing to have done. It was for the little things like that, making Rory remember that she was incubating another human and to take it easy, that she loved Logan. Once she was fully awake, she started to get ready. She had brought a flattering maternity dress in a deep purple that Honor helped her to pick out on a small shopping trip in Hartford. Honor had wanted to go into New York to shop, but Rory didn't want to deal with the crowds. Hartford had been their compromise.

Rory had been initially been hesitant to try the dress on when Honor showed it to her. But, Honor threatened to force Rory into it. She had grudgingly tried it on and ended up liking it. She had been saving it for a special occasion and felt that this party was it. It was not only the reveal party for their babies gender but also marking the reconciliation for her mother and her. She wanted it to be special.

She quickly tucked her hair into an updo that wouldn't be budging anytime soon and did a light dusting of make-up. She placed diamond studs in her ear and a making bracelet on her wrist. She stepped back to check herself in the mirror. Ever since her stomach had started expanding, Rory struggled with her self image since she had never been anything but skinny her entire life. While she knew it was neurotic to be worried about her figure since she was pregnant, she couldn't help it every so often. But, she decided that she liked how she looked today though. The dress suited her body and cupped her belly in a pleasing way. The v-neck also helped to accentuate her quickly developing cleavage. That was also a surprise as she had always been a smaller cup size. To suddenly jump from being an A cup to a C cup had been a hard adjustment. She had to steal shirts from Logan some days as she couldn't get her old shirts over her chest anymore and definitely not her belly.

She was just turning to spray her perfume on when Logan entered the room. "Hey," she said, giving him her cheek to kiss. "I was wondering where you were."

"I was downstairs helping Luke get some stuff set up. Apparently Michel said he'd help, but then suddenly backed out, claiming his manicure wouldn't survive the strain."

Rory laughed. "That sounds like Michel for sure."

She quickly sprayed her perfume and double checked everything. "Well, how do I look?" she asked, twirling for Logan to look at her.

"I think that you look ravishing. And, if we didn't have to be downstairs in a few minutes, I would definitely have my dirty way with you," he said as he snagged her waist, pulling her closer. "But, alas, we don't have time. So, I'll have to settle for a quick kiss."

He pecked her lightly on the lips and stepped back. "I have to say, Mr. Huntzberger, that you're looking pretty dapper and spiffy yourself."

"Really?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Really," she assured him, taking him in. As usual, he was in dress pants, but they were chinos and not part of a suit. And, in lieu of his normal tie and dress shirt, he had opted for a black polo. It wasn't often that she got to enjoy him in a more dressed down casual look like this and she wanted to savor it.

"Are you ready?" Logan asked, sticking his arm out for her to take.

"Of course," she said, threading her arm through his.

They made their way downstairs and Rory was immediately enveloped in hugs from all the townspeople. Before she knew it, she lost sight of Logan in the crowd of well wishers that wanted to see her and touch her belly. Eventually, she found herself in the dining room and snagged a chair in the corner, taking the chance to catch a breath. No one was really in the dining room since the food hadn't been placed out yet.

Hearing banging in the kitchen, Rory decided to check it out, assuming Sookie was in there. Pushing the door open, she saw Sookie standing at the stove, gesticulating at her cooks. Not saying anything, she just watched as Sookie avoided near disaster several times before turning around to place the finishing touches on the reveal cake. Seeing her there, Sookie shouted, "Rory!"

Rory stepped into the kitchen and into Sookie's hug. "It's so good to see you!" Sookie continued. After they parted, Sookie looked at her.

"Wow, look at you! Your glowing because of this little munchkin. I never thought I'd see the day. I think I always hoped you'd be that little girl that would sit in the kitchen after school and eat the cookies I made for her."

Rory laughed. "There's some days I wish I was still that little girl, I'm not going to lie."

"Well, not that I don't love you being back here, but what are you doing back here?" Sookie asked as she stepped back to the cake.

Rory sighed. "It's a bit overwhelming out there. Since I haven't been in town in so long, everyone wants to see me and rub my belly. And, I'm so thrilled to see everyone, but I just can't take them anymore."

Sookie laughed. "I know what you mean. They can be a bit overwhelming. Obviously, they mean well. But, that doesn't mean it doesn't get super tiring to deal with their constant questions. Now you know why I hid out in the kitchen half the time."

Rory laughed at that. "Maybe I need to try and do that myself."

"Oh, Rory. You say that now, but I know you're happy to be back here and seeing everyone. It just wasn't the same without you here. And, Lorelai obviously wasn't happy either."

Rory sighed. "Yeah, I am. And I know. It's still a bit weird and awkward though. I'm hoping that whatever it is will pass and we'll get back to being the Gilmore girls before little baby comes here."

"I'm sure it will. But, we can't sit here all day. You need to get back out there and mingle! I'll have the servers bringing the food out soon, which should help with the general excitement with everything."

Rory gave Sookie one last hug and thanked her for her words before pushing through the door and back into the hallway. The Inn was eerily quiet and she stepped outside to see everyone had moved into the tent Lorelai had pitched outside the front door. It was still February and quite chilly, so Lorelai had massive space heaters brought out to help heat the space and most people didn't even need their jackets if they were in the tent. Rory surveyed the scene, a smiled on her face as she took in the townspeople and their interactions with each other and Logan.

She saw Logan had his back to a wall, which meant either Babette or Patty had gotten to him. Hopefully they hadn't been too bad towards him. She saw her mom and Luke were talking to Honor, Logan's sister. She even saw her grandparents and Logan's parents mingling with some of the townspeople. She hadn't had a chance to speak to either of the elder Huntzbergers and figure she should probably get that over with sooner rather than later.

Gathering her wits about her, she made her way down the steps and into the tent. She smiled and chatted as she made her way towards Mitchum and Shira. By the time she reached them, Logan had joined her side. He must have seen her intent and tracked her through the crowd.

"Mom, Dad," Logan said as they reached them.

"Logan, this is quite the turnout you've got here son," Mitchum boomed, shaking Logan's hand. "It's nice to see all these people out for you."

"Thanks, Dad," Logan said.

"Yes, it's quite quaint. I'm impressed it was put together so quickly," Shira said, looking around with thinly veiled distain.

Rory resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she responded, "Well, if Lorelai Gilmore is throwing a party, you don't miss it in this town. It's usually one for the ages. This is rather tame in comparison to some of the parties she's thrown in the past."

Shira murmured something and wandered off, leaving Logan and Rory with Mitchum. Surprisingly, Rory was fine with this. She had learned to deal with Mitchum's pushiness. It was Shira's haughtiness that Rory struggled to deal with. But, having just resolved the issues with her mother, Rory was leery to try and battle Shira. She figured it would work itself out whenever or, it wouldn't. It wasn't a problem to her either way.

She listened with half an ear as Logan and Mitchum briefly discussed some things with work that needed to be addressed in the coming week. Before they could get too deep, Lorelai came up with a smile. "Are you two ready to cut the cake? Sookie has brought all the food out and I think the native's are getting restless."

They nodded and followed Lorelai to a small raised platform. Rory hadn't wanted to have it at all, but her mom made a valid point about the townspeople. So many people would be there that would want to see it that the only way they would happen was if they slightly raised the cake table so everyone could see what color the cake was.

Once they mounted the dias, they looked at Kirk, who was supposed to be filming it live for the people that weren't able to come. "Are you ready Kirk?" Logan asked, trying to stifle his laughter at the look of confusion on Kirk's face.

"Yes, just about. I thought I had this set up earlier. But, for some reason, the picture is coming out black. It doesn't matter what I do! I can't get it to actually record anything!"

"Um, Kirk, do you think it's because you still have the lenses cover on the camera?" Babette shouted.

Kirk blushed as he checked the front of the camera and removed the cap. They watched as he double checked everything and gave them the thumbs up, the red light on the front of the camera turning on. Rory looked at Logan and smiled. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," he smiled, leaning in for a kiss.

"Stop stalling!" Babette yelled. "Though, I can understand why you would be with that hunk as a husband."

Everyone laughed. They picked up the sterling silver cake server and placed it over the cake. They pressed it down together and then removed it so they could cut the other side to make a cake slice. They slid it under the slice and looked at each other before slowly raising it to place on the cake.

"Come on guys, you're taking too long! What is it?" someone yelled from the crowd.

Rory laughed and lifted the plate so everyone could see that the inside of the cake was blue, meaning they were having a boy.

"A boy!" Rory heard Emily and Shira both exclaim. The townspeople also descended into pandemonium while she looked at Logan and smiled.

"Well, I guess this makes it official. We're having a boy."

Logan grinned back at her. "Yep, I guess it does. Guess we need to start thinking of ways to outsmart him. If he's anything like what I was like as a child, then we have our hands full."

Rory laughed and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I think we can handle it."

"I think so too, Ace."


	15. Chapter 14

Several more weeks passed and Rory found herself in Stars Hollow again. This time, it wasn't just for a party, though that was part of it. It was also for a true Gilmore girls weekend complete with copious amounts of junk food, a movie marathon, and breakfast at Luke's. Things still hadn't completely righted themselves with her mother, so when Lorelai invited her to spend the weekend with her in Stars Hollow, Rory hadn't even thought about it.

Luke would be spending the weekend above the diner to give the two girls time to bond and Logan expressed his happiness at the progress that was being made. So, early on a Saturday morning at the beginning of March, Rory found herself driving to Stars Hollow to meet her mother for a Luke's date before the quintessential Stars Hollow day. She pulled into the driveway of the Crap Shack and smiled. Nothing had changed, though she felt like she had in the time she had been gone.

Nervous and unsure how to announce her presence, Rory knocked on the door once she mounted the porch. Lorelai opened and gasped. "What is this? My own daughter, the fruit of my loins, the bearer of my genes didn't just walk into the house? What is this world that we have come to?!"

Rory laughed and hugged her mom, savoring the feeling. "I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if you were home or how I needed to go about entering the house."

Lorelai grimaced as they parted. "I guess that's fair. I did kick you out, after all."

Lorelai stepped back and Rory stepped into the house for the first time since the beginning of November. It smelled and looked just like she remembered, albeit, possibly a little cleaner than before. Lorelai noticed her looking around. "Yeah, I'm sure you're noticing that things might look a little cleaner?"

Rory nodded her agreement and Lorelai continued. "Luke has insisted that we downsize. It got so bad that he threatened to completely throw old VHS tapes with _Felicity_ on them out if I didn't agree."

Rory mock gasped. "How could he suggest such sacrilege?!"

"I know! I mean, he doesn't understand the importance of those old VHS's to me. They represent a time in our lives where our only enjoyment came from watching those over and over and over again."

Rory tsked. "Will he ever learn?"

"I doubt it. But, he is trying. Doesn't help me though. I've gotten rid of so many old clothes, unused junk, and a plethora of other things."

Lorelai continued to talk as she and Rory made their way into the living room and sat on the couch. "I mean, yeah, most of that stuff wasn't necessary for my day to day life. But, come on, it was a total crutch for me. It doesn't matter that I hadn't used half of it in years. What matters is that I knew it was there and I could totally use it no matter what."

Rory laughed and agreed with her mom. It was these moments that she had missed the most. While she had grown closer to her grandmother and she and Logan bantered with each other, it was nothing like bantering with her mother. They got each other in a way that no one else could.

"So, kid, what do you say we make our way to Luke's? I we leave now, we should get there by 10."

Rory gasped. "Mom, it's only 8. There's no way it'll take 2 hours for us to walk there."

Lorelai scoffed. "Oh, young Padawan, you doubt the ways of Stars Hollow. You'll have no doubt sparked interest when you drove through town. Then, you forget that Babette and Patty are the two biggest gossips. Between the two of them, everyone in town will know that you're back and will most likely be lurking, waiting for you so they can bombard you. Who cares that you were just here a few weeks ago? You're the town sweetheart and still the editor of the Gazette, which you'll have to tell me how you accomplished working there without coming in. They'll want to see you."

"You're right. And, when you're right? You're right."

"That's the spirit!"

They gathered their things and left the house. As they crossed the yard, Lorelai said, "You never explained how you were able to continue working at the Gazette."

"Well, it wasn't easy. But, Logan donated some old computer from HPG, which allowed me to update the computer system fully. Because of that, I was able to telecommute. Some days I wasn't able to, so I came into town after dark or really late so that no one would see me working."

"Huh, I'm impressed at your subterfuge. You are a true student of the arts of Lorelai Gilmore."

Rory laughed. "Yeah, it was a bit cloak and dagger. I didn't think it was necessary at first. But, I tried to come during the day one time and I was mobbed. It wasn't worth it."

Lorelai nodded sagely and said, "Incoming, 12 o'clock."

Rory glanced up and saw Taylor coming towards them. She muffled a groan as they drew closer. Somehow, she was able to survive the conversation the the twenty others she engaged in on their walk to Luke's. Surprisingly, or not, it only took them until 9 to get there.

Upon walking in, they claimed a table by the window and grabbed a couple of menus. Before they could start looking, Luke walked up. "Please, the two of you don't need to look at those. Will you be having your usual?"

"Yes, please. And lots of coffee, Lukey."

Luke grimaced. "How many times do I have to ask you to not call me that?"

"About 100 more."

"I would like some hot tea, Luke, if you have it."

Luke and Lorelai looked at Rory. "Who are you, this person that asked for tea and not coffee?"

Luke stated, "It's about time one of your grew some sense."

After Luke walked away, Lorelai looked at Rory again. "Tea?"

Rory smiled wanly. "It's not too good for the baby and sometimes the smell of it doesn't agree with me."

Lorelai mock gasped. "What is this? It's not good for the baby? That didn't stop me and, look! You turned out fine!"

Rory rolled her eyes. "I might have, but I'd like to not risk it. And, you know, the whole queasy thing isn't too much fun."

Before Lorelai could respond, Kirk walked up to the table. "Morning, ladies. It's nice to see the two of you. This lovely morning."

"Morning, Kirk," they chorused, waiting for whatever pitch Kirk had today.

"Rory, you're still the editor of the Gazette, are you not?"

Rory nodded. "Yep, still the editor."

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to look over my portfolio and see about including me in your staff."

Rory's eye brows went into her hairline. "Oh, ok. Do you have it on you?"

"Yep, I have it right here."

Rory took it from him and flipped through. She stopped at the second article. "Kirk, some of these articles are mine."

"Oh, I included those so you could see what I wanted to attain at some point."

Rory looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "That's well and good, but you can't just include my articles in your portfolio. While I'm flattered, that's not how you go about presenting your work. If you're really interested, we can set up an appointment for next week, maybe, where we can talk about some of your pieces and your goals."

Kirk had looked crestfallen at Rory's chastising, but perked up when he heard her suggestion. "Really? That would be awesome!"

Rory nodded. "Yep. Here, let me give you one of my cards. You can either e-mail or call me with your availability."

Rory pulled a business card out of her wallet and handed it to Kirk. It's my business phone on there, so I might not always answer. Just leave a message and I'll get back with you to confirm."

"Thank you so much, Rory. You won't regret this."

With that, Kirk did a weird sort of bow and dance and left the diner.

"Wow," Lorelai said, "that's a new side to Rory I haven't seen before."

Rory blushed. "Yeah, I'm becoming a bit more comfortable in my various roles. I think not being here daily has made it easier since I've had to manage from a distance."

"Really. I'm quite impressed. I mean, you almost had a little Emily Gilmore going on there."

Rory sighed. "Mom, if you're implying what I think you're implying, that's so not it."

"What am I implying?"

"That because I've spent so much time in Hartford that I'm turning into one of those wives that just bosses her employees around and has no compassion for them."

Lorelai tried to stutter out a response, but wasn't able to before Rory cut her off. "Mom, don't try to make an excuse for it. Honestly, I probably should have seen this coming. But, I forget that you've only ever seen me in Stars Hollow and as that little girl that you saved from the evil Hartford elite. I forget that you haven't seen me in that set."

Rory paused and tried to gather her thoughts. For once, Lorelai didn't say anything and looked contrite. "I realize that you left that life," Rory started, "because you didn't want that life. And, while I don't like everything with it, it is my life now whether we like it or not. Logan is pretty well known and, because of that, I'm getting to be pretty well known. It took me a few weeks after we went public to understand that I couldn't be a push over with people anymore. It was important for me to stand up for myself because, if I didn't, I would be taken advantage of by all the people that wanted a piece of me. Being pregnant and trying to get my life together wouldn't allow that."

Lorelai was silent for a few seconds before responding. "It was a lot harder on you than I think it was, wasn't it?"

Rory didn't ask Lorelai to clarify because she knew exactly what she was asking. She waited to answers until Caesar dropped their food off at the table and then said, "Yeah, it was. It was one thing to be Rory Gilmore, college drop out and DAR maverick and then to suddenly be Rory Gilmore Huntzberger, societal matron that controls the society set for my generation. Logan has shielded me from a lot of it with the help of his father, I think. I'm only now starting to go to public events. But, even still, it was a hard adjustment learning that I couldn't just take people at face value. I'm still learning that actually."

Lorelai sighed. "I wasn't super sincere that day at The Dragonfly when I said I would try. I meant that I would try, but only on my terms. I would just make it seem like it was on yours. It's just been so hard for me, you know? We're the Gilmore girls. We faec the world together and everyone else be damned! And that includes men. We never needed them to help define us or to pull us apart. But, because I was hurt, I let my own prejudices cloud my judgement."

Rory smiled and placed her hand on Lorelai's. "I totally understand," she assured. "But, this isn't just about us anymore. You're married to a great guy and I'm married to a great guy. I'm expecting my first child, your first grand child. This is supposed to be a happy time. And, it's still the Gilmore girls against the world. We just might be a little bit slower and have other things to worry about now."

They were silent for a few minutes while they ate their breakfast, each lost in their own thoughts. Lorelai finally said, "You're right. I shouldn't be surprised that you are either. You were always so smart and ahead of your time. And, you always are willing to see the best in people even if I think it's not there. I need to trust your judgement here because, ultimately, it's not my life. It's yours. If you're happy, then I'l try to be happy. It might not happen overnight, but I am going to _really_ try to see what you see in Logan."

Rory smiled at her and said, "That's all I ask, Mom. I think you'll see that he's pretty great and not the boogy man that you make him out to be."

The rest of breakfast passed with no other serious conversation and they were on their way for their Stars Hollow day by 10. They strolled the square, looking at Miss Patty teach her spring flower dancers their dance for the upcoming Spring Fest. They stopped to chat with Bootsie and ended up going into Weston's for a break. They each got a cupcake and hot drink to enjoy while they chatted about the impending baby.

Once they finished, Rory popped into the bookstore, greeting Andrew. Lorelai refused to go in with her, knowing it would be hours before Rory emerged. She told Rory she'd be at The Dragonfly and to let her know when she wanted to meet up again. Rory happily browsed the shelves, selecting books for her, Logan, and the baby. Now that it was out what they were having, she was having so much fun picking out different children's books to start reading to him once he was born.

Several hours and hundreds of dollars later, Rory paid for her purchases and promised Andrew she'd be by the following day with her car to pick them up. There was no way she'd get them home by herself. She sent her mom a text to let her know she'd be at home resting before she started the slow journey to the house. She stopped at Lane's house, but no one answered, so she also texted Lane to find out when she'd be home again for a visit.

Upon reaching the house, Rory collapsed on her childhood bed. The room was still bare, but she could see where Lorelai had put some decorations up to spruce it up a bit. It still made her sad that this room wasn't really hers anymore, but not living in Stars Hollow was the best decision she could have made, even thought it was forced on her by her mother. These thoughts continued to run through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later, Lorelai woke Rory up. "Hey, about memories, huh?"

Rory smiled at her sleepily. "Yeah, major flashbacks."

"What do you want for dinner?" she asked.

Rory thought for a minute. "Chinese?"

"Of course. The usual?"

"Duh, Mom. Do you mind ordering so I can go to the bathroom really quick and freshen up?"

"Sure, no problem. Go on and put your pajamas on while I get the snacks ready and the movie cued."

Rory made her way upstairs and into her mother's lavish bathroom. Rory smiled at the memory of the renovation that happened when she was still in college. Her mother had been resistant at first, but had eventually agreed that a change needed to be made if Chris, and then Luke, were to move into the house.

Rory quickly used the bathroom and splashed water on her face before heading back to her room to change into her pjs. After changing, she went into the living room and saw her mother had already laid out their normal movie night snacks.

"You know, I know we used to do this regularly. But, I honestly wonder how we were ever able to eat this much and not go into a sugar coma."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again: medical marvel. We need to be studied."

Rory laughed. "No kidding."

They settled in and Lorelai started the movie: _Casablanca_.

"I should have known you'd pick this movie!"

Lorelai laughed. "Of course, mini-me. It's a classic! We have to start our movie night off with this!"

As the opening music started, Rory looked at her mom and smiled, thankful they had moved past whatever it was that was holding Lorelai back from being fully happy for her. Turning her attention to the movie, Rory found herself getting sucked in and realized just how much she had missed these nights with her mom. She hoped that as her pregnancy progressed and she eventually gave birth that these nights would continue and they could pass it on to the next Gilmore guy.

Throughout the evening, Rory and Lorelai watched not only _Casablanca_ , but also _The Godfather_ , and _Animal House_. The last one confused Rory at first, but Lorelai quickly explained that she wanted a classic comedy that might not be on the same par as the other movies, but was a classic nonetheless. Rory accepted that reason and didn't say anything else on the topic.

By the time they finished their marathon, Rory could tell she was older because she felt overly full from their snacks and dinner and she hadn't eaten nearly as much as she used to, even with being pregnant. Before sliding into her covers and going to sleep, she sent a quick text to Logan that said, "This was one of the best things Mom and I could have done I think. I'm so glad I came."


	16. Chapter 15

Sunday morning dawned cold and beautiful. Rory could tell that the day would be uncharacteristically cold for the time of year when she woke up. While it was usually cold in March, there usually wasn't frost on the ground or Babette standing outside with a heavy winter coat and hat on. Rory took one last look outside and walked into the kitchen to find Luke standing at the stove cooking.

"Mom put you up to this?" Rory asked as she sat at the table.

Luke laughed. "Do I even have to answer that?"

"Nope," Rory answered, joining in on the laughter.

"Do you want some tea?" Luke asked.

"Yes please. Whatever you have is fine."

"Alright," he said as he placed the kettle on the burner. "I have some herbal around here. I'll grab a tea bag for you."

Rory watched as Luke pulled a mug out and placed a tea bag in it before placing it beside the stove. They sat in silence and Rory was fine with that. She never felt the need to fill silence with Luke. It was comfortable to just bask in the silence because, more often that not, it didn't last that long.

Sure enough, Rory could hear her mom clomping down the smiled as she looked towards the living room in time to see her mom trip as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Rory stifled her laughter as she watched her mom catch herself and check to be sure she was alone before checking to make sure she was okay. Lorelai brushed herself off and squared her shoulder before continuing on her way towards the kitchen.

"Loin fruit!"

"Gah, Lorelai! Really? Why do you have to say things like that?" Luke exclaimed, a look of disgust on his face.

Lorelai and Rory laughed. Lorelai said, "Because it's true. She came from my loins, so, she's a loin fruit."

Luke continued to grumble while Lorelai poured herself coffee before joining Rory at the kitchen table.

"How'd you sleep?" Lorelai asked while sipping her coffee.

"Not too bad. It was a little weird being back in there since it's not really my room anymore, though it still feels like it is to an extent."

Lorelai nodded, but didn't comment. They all lapsed into silence until the tea kettle screamed, prompting Luke to pour the water over Rory's tea bag. After placing the mug in front of Rory, he asked, "Do you need something to place in it?"

"Just honey and some sugar, please."

Luke nodded and put both on the table. While she and Lorelai waited for Luke to finish cooking breakfast, they chatted about various things about the upcoming baby shower. Since the majority of the townspeople wanted to come to the shower, they weren't having it at The Dragonfly. They all thought it would be too cramped. They were able to convince Taylor to let them pitch a tent in the town square, similar to what they did for the gender reveal party, and hold it there.

Lorelai found a throne for Rory to sit on as she opened the gifts and Sookie had planned an even more lavish food spread than she had before. This time, however, instead of making a huge cake, she made individual cupcakes that she arranged in the shape of a baby carriage. Rory saw the mock up Sookie did a few weeks before and was quite pleased with the result.

"Alright," Luke said, placing plates in front of her and Lorelai. "I have some pancakes and bacon here for my two favorite Gilmore girls."

Lorelai smiled and thanked Luke, as did Rory. They waited while Luke grabbed his own plate, which had an omelette and fruit on it, and joined them at the table. They all continued to chat while they ate before Lorelai told Rory she needed to go on and get dressed since the shower would be starting right after church let out.

"But, Mom, that's not for like two hours."

Lorelai shrugged. "I'm sure you can find something to fill your time."

Rory rolled her eyes and walked into her room. She decided to call Logan when she determined that it wouldn't take that long to get her ready for the shower.

The phone rang once before he picked up. "Hey you."

"Hey yourself," she replied. "How are you this morning?"

"Missing my wife. How about you?"

"Missing my husband. When are you getting here?"

Logan laughed. "I'll be there in about an hour and a half so I can walk to the square with you."

"Good. I missed you last night."

"I missed you too. I think we need to reevaluate any other nights you might be spending apart from me."

"I agree."

They lapsed into a short silence before Logan asked, "So, how was last night? I saw your text when I woke up. It went well?"

Rory nodded even though Logan definitely couldn't see her. "Yeah, it was nice. We cleared the air a little further. I think Mom was still functioning under the idea that I was being brainwashed by the Hartford elite."

"It's not surprising. Think about it. Has she ever really seen you interact with people from the social set?"

Rory thought about it for a few seconds. "Not really. I mean, she's seen me at those parents my grandparents threw growing up and I was super awkward. And, she was at my 21st birthday party. And, well, we know what type of debacle that was."

"Oh, yeah. Majorly awkward for sure. But, if that's all she's seen? Is it any surprise she might not be overly receptive to your supposed personality change?"

"Yeah, I guess it's not that surprising. Still, though, I can't believe she thought that you and everyone else were completely overriding my own free will."

"Well, you've got it in the open now. That's what matters. What about the movie night?"

"That was everything I hoped it would be," Rory said, becoming more excited. "We ate copious amounts of junk food and Chinese. We watched _Casablanca_ , _The Godfather_ , and _Animal House_."

"That's good. I know how much you were looking forward to this when your mom invited you. I think this is exactly what each of you needed to reconnect."

"You know, I agree. I think we did need this."

They chat for a few more minutes before hanging up so Rory could start getting ready. The outfit she chose for this event was comfortable more than it was stylish, though it was still that. Rory felt she could dress down for this shower since it was just with the townspeople. She knew she'd be having another shower in Hartford that she would have to dress up for. So, she wanted to take advantage of the laid back style of Stars Hollow. Thus, she was wearing a pair of maternity jeans and a flowing long sleeve maternity top with a nice Burberry jacket and scarf set.

She quickly curled her hair and did light make-up before checking how she looked in the mirror. Deciding she was quite pleased, she slipped some comfortable boots on and stepped into the kitchen. Checking the time, she saw she had plenty of time before Logan would arrive and decided to make another cup of tea. She set the kettle on the burner and turned it on, getting her cup ready for the water.

Once it whistled, she poured the water in the mug and set it on the table, going back into her room for a book. Settling at the table, she started to read the Agatha Christie book she packed to bring with her. Rory got so immersed in her book that she didn't hear Logan pull up outside or walk into the house calling her name. It wasn't until he touched her shoulder, making her jump, that she realized he was there.

"Hey!" she said, tilting her head up to accept the kiss he offered.

He sat at the table with her. "Good book?" he asked, smirking.

Rory blushed. "Of course. You know me."

"Yes, I do. I should have known you'd be reading a book while you waited."

Before she could reply, Lorelai walked into the kitchen and paused before saying, "I thought I heard commotion down here. I see I was right. Logan's here. How are you?"

"I'm good. Yourself?" he asked while Rory tried to decide if her mom was being snarky or not.

Deciding it wasn't important to dissect it, she asked, "Should I get my car so we can go on and walk to the square?"

"Yep, I was coming down to see if you were ready," Lorelai said. Rory nodded and closed her book. She quickly threw her tea bag out and rinsed her mug out before walking into her room to get her coat and scarf. She slipped into the coat as she stepped back into the kitchen.

"Well, let's get this show on the road."

She and Logan stood and watched while Lorelai panicked on her inability to find her coat and then her present for their son. Rory used the chance to look Logan over. He had dressed down also, opting for a nice pair of jeans and a long-sleeve sweater. She thought he looked quite nice and planned to show him how nice later that night.

Finally, Lorelai found her things and they made their way to the square. Luke had left for the diner earlier, but would be closing it to join them at the shower. Rory gasped at the square when they got close enough. The tent was up, but it was decked out in anything baby related it looked like. There were paper mâché baby carriages, rattles, and onesies hanging from he sides. There were some antique looking baby items scattered throughout the tent and fairy lights had been strung from the roof to help with the gloom inside the tent. Like before, Lorelai had space heaters throughout the tent to help keep it warm, a fact that most of the townspeople seemed thankful for.

She saw plenty of people in the tent and outside it holding cups of steaming liquid and nibbling on little finger foods that were being served. As they drew closer, people noticed her and waved or made their way over to her. Rory enjoyed seeing everyone since she didn't get to see them as often as she used to. When she had a moment, she looked towards the high school where she heard feedback coming from. She broke into a smile when she saw Hep Alien setting their instruments up.

"I'll be right back," Rory told Logan as she made her way over to the school.

"Hey guys. What's this?" she asked them when she got close enough.

"Well, what's a Stars Hollow party without a band?" Lane asked, coming to the front of the stage and hopping down. The two embraced. "And, what's a band without a guest of honor? Look at you!"

Rory laughed. "Well, I guess I should say I'm honored to be the guest of honor at the party at which you are the band."

"Rory, what the heck did you just say? I think my head exploded," Zach said as he tuned his guitar.

Rory and Lane laughed. "Well, my drums are set up. Why don't we leave the guys to it and I join you at the festivities?"

They waved bye to the boys and walked back towards where Logan was standing with Luke.

"Lane, good to see you," Logan said, giving her a hug.

"You also. I see Rory is surviving, which means you're treating her well. Good."

They all laughed and made their way further into the tent. Rory kept seeing people walk by with food and she wanted to know where they were getting it from since she was hungry again. Finally, she caught sight of the food table and told Logan she was going to get a small plate. She was able to load her plate up with minimal interruptions and made her way back to Logan.

The next bit was spent eating and talking to guests that arrived later than everyone else. Eventually, Lorelai got her and led her to the throne she had fashioned for her so she and Logan could start opening presents. The throne was just big enough for both of them she discovered, so she forced him to sit with her while they went through the mountain of gifts the townspeople brought for them.

Most of the gifts were thoughtful things, but some of them were a bit odd. Kirk gave them a homemade book of his life, which neither of them particularly wanted to open to see what it said. Taylor gave them vouchers to all his Stars Hollow businesses. Even with those gifts, they made sure they thanked everyone profusely at the end of it.

Several hours later, they finally finished opening gifts and were able to say their goodbyes to everyone. From the sheer amount of things that were given, Rory was glad Logan insisted on renting a truck with movers to get it all back to their house. Since they were still in the process of moving in, it as perfect they were taking it there. They would be moving in the following week when the work was finally finished and their crew was finished unpacking. Rory had initially balked at the idea of having someone unpack their entire house, but Logan was insistent since Rory was now 7 months pregnant and he was working from Hartford full time. She finally caved when he proved that it would actually make it easier on them to be able to just move in and be done with it all. Their only compromise was Rory insisting on their setting the nursery up.

Once the gifts were loaded, Rory and Logan said their final goodbyes before heading back to the Crap Shack to get each of their vehicles. The drive back to Hartford was rather quick and, before she realized they were back, she was parking in her grandparents driveway. They made their way inside and were surprised by the quiet house. Rory found a note on the hallway table telling her that Emily and Richard took a last minute trip into New York for the night. It left instructions if they wanted anything to eat and where they could be reached.

Rory shrugged and showed it to Logan before slowly making her way to the stairs. Since she was more pregnant, she found that it was harder for her to move from place to place because of the added weight in her midsection. Halfway up the stairs, Logan joined her and guided her the rest of the way up. She smiled her thanks and made her way down the hallway to their room. She collapsed on the sofa in their sitting room and sighed, finally relaxing.

"While that was fun, I hope our next shower isn't that busy and filled with so many well wishers."

Logan laughed and said, "I know exactly what you mean. I think the entire town was there."

Rory sat on the couch while Logan moved around the room. Eventually, Rory worked up the energy to beckon Logan over to her. When he sat down next to her, she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I'm not going to lie. When I saw you earlier, I had plans to have my dirty way with you tonight so I could show you how much I liked it. But, now, I find myself unable to get the energy to even move."

Logan laughed. "I appreciate the sentiment, Ace. But, I think you can both agree that it's more important for you to rest right now. How about a rain check?"

Rory nodded her head, but was falling asleep and couldn't form words. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face, so happy with the way her life was going.


	17. Chapter 16

Sitting outside the Huntzberger mansion in a party dress, worried about whether she was dressed properly when she's the guest of honor isn't how she wanted to spend a Saturday. Yet, here she was, by herself, building the courage to actually go inside. She sighed as she realized she had wasted too much time and Shira would probably come looking for her soon. She gathered her purse and did a quick mirror check.

Stepping from the car, she prepared herself for the coming chaos and walked to the door. She rang the bell and smiled at the maid who answered. The maid took her purse and guided her to the back patio, where Rory's eyes bugged out of her head. Shira told her they were hosting a small luncheon for Rory's shower. She took that at face value. Small to her meant only a select few people, but small to Shira obviously meant something else. She could easily see 15 tables arranged on the patio, each table seating 8 people.

While it was a lot of people, and not what she expected, she had to admit that it was tastefully decorated. There were nice flower arrangements and tasteful music in the background. In fact, if Rory had to plan something like this for herself, she might have done something similar. That in and of itself shocked her.

Before she could continue to gaze at the party, Shira walked up to her. "Rory! I'm so glad to see you!"

Rory didn't know what to do because Shira pulled her into a hug and gave her two air kisses. Rory had a tense smile on her face when they pulled apart. "It's good to see you too, Shira. Thank you for hosting this. It looks amazing!"

Shira waved off her compliment. "It was nothing. My grandchild and his mother deserve the absolute best!"

Rory was taken aback again. Who was this person and what did she do with the Shira Huntzberger she knew? Before Rory could think on it too much, Honor walked up and pulled her into a hug. "You're here! I'm so excited! And look at you!"

Honor stepped back and looked Rory up and down. "This dress! It is amazing! Where did you get it?" Rory was wearing a navy blue empire waist dress with cap sleeves that hit her at about her knees. She had even worn a nude pair of kitten heels.

Honor continued to gush and pulled Rory farther onto the patio, introducing her to the people there. Unfortunately, or thankfully, she didn't know anyone. So, Rory had to repeat her and Logan's story each time and suffer through everyone rubbing her belly. When she thought she couldn't take it anymore, Shira announced that lunch was about to be served. Honor led Rory to a small table set for four. Emily was already sitting there and rose when she saw her.

"Rory! You are glowing! And that dress!"

"Hey Grandma!" Rory said as she hugged her.

Rory took her seat along side her Grandmother and was thankful when Honor took the seat on the other side of her. Before she could try to figure out what to say so that lunch wasn't completely awkward, servers came out with large trays. They placed a flute in front of her, which she was assured was full of sparkling cider, and a plate of pot roast.

"This looks amazing, Shira! Really," Rory told her as she placed her napkin in her lap.

"Well, I have it on good authority that you love pot roast and that you've been craving it recently. So, why not help feed that?" Shira shrugged.

Rory happily dug into her lunch and tried to suppress her moan at the delicious flavor of it. Shira was right. She had been craving pot roast and this had to be some of the best pot roasts she had ever had. She decided to try and figure out later how Shira found out about her craving.

Once the main course was done, the waiters brought out mini chocolate soufflés with raspberries on top. By the time lunch was done, Rory felt stuffed and like a nap, but Honor told her to sit still as workers quickly broke the tables down and lined the chairs up in a semi-circle in front of a lavish armchair that she was led to.

"Are you ready for some gifts?" Honor asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

Rory laughed and said she was. Honor sat next to her recording the gifts they were given while Emily and Shira handled arranging them on a table for people to look at once Rory finished. Rory made sure to admire every gift she opened and look happy with it. On the inside, however, she couldn't help but cringe at some of them. She and Logan registered at Target, Babies R Us and on Amazon, but it looked like the society set didn't care about things like that.

She opened more gifts that were designer themed than she had ever seen in her life, even when she shopped with Honor at Bergdorfs. She also opened more sterling silver baby sets than she thought existed. By the time she finished opening the gifts, she thought she had only opened one or two gifts that were going to be useful. Her face also ached from all the smiling she had to do. At least, though, there weren't any baby games to play at this. No smelling diapers, no guessing how big around she was, no saying the word baby.

Once the last gift was open, the crowd started to break up. She endured about thirty more minutes of goodbyes and then it was just Rory, Shira, Emily, and Honor.

"Well, how about some drinks? Sparkling cider for you, dear Rory," Shira said as she signaled a waiter to come over. She gave him drink orders and sat back.

"I think that went very well, what do you think?" Shira asked, looking at all of them.

"I agree. It was a lovely party, Shira," Emily said.

"Yeah, Mom. I think it's one of the best parties you've done."

Rory nodded her agreement. "Yes, Shira, it was amazing! I really appreciate you going to the trouble of planning and hosting it."

"Rory, it was nothing. I was happy to do it."

Rory cocked an eyebrow, not quite believing Shira. Before she could ask, Emily stepped in. "You were, Shira? Last I heard you were still upset over the whole marriage."

Before Shira could respond, the server returned with their drinks. They waited a few moments while he passed them their drinks. Once he walked out of hearing range, Shira responded, "You are right. I was not happy with the marriage when it came out. However, it's obvious this is going to last and you are having one of my grandchildren. I decided that instead of being upset about it, I can just accept it."

Rory was in shock, as was Emily and Honor. "Really, Mom? That's…surprising."

"Yes, I agree. I'm a bit shocked myself. Are you sure that you've really accepted this? Or, are you going to suddenly decide you don't like it again and insult my granddaughter, her future child, and my family?"

Shira coughed uncomfortably. "Yes, well. Can we just let the past stay in the past?"

"I am happy to let that happen," Rory replied, cutting off whatever response Emily was gearing up for.

Emily humphed and took a sip of her drink. The rest of the time at the mansion was spent somewhat pleasantly, if somewhat tense also. By the time she said goodbye to everyone and got into her car, she was exhausted and didn't quite know what to think about the change in Shira.

She thought about it the whole way home. She and Logan moved in earlier in the week and Rory was still getting used to being in the house with just Logan and not other people. She parked in the garage and made her way inside to be greeted by boxes, boxes that weren't there when she left the house earlier.

"Logan?" Rory called as she made her way around them.

"Yeah, Ace?"

"Are we moving again?"

"What do you mean?" Logan asked as he started to walk towards her.

"Well, I came inside to a great mountain of boxes that wasn't here earlier. So?"

Logan stepped into view. "Ah, this. These are all the lovely gifts that you opened earlier."

"How'd they get here so quickly? Shira just told me not to worry about getting them home."

"You should know that things move quickly in Hartford circles. Mom had movers on hand to bring it here once you finished."

"Ah. Well, that doesn't explain what they're all doing here in the entryway."

"Well, considering we'll just be returning them, I felt it was better to leave them here."

"Ah. Again, doesn't explain why they're just chilling here."

Logan laughed. "Don't worry about it. I have my assistant coming in tomorrow to handle the returns. She'll separate them out by where it was bought and handle someone coming to get them. With the money we get, we're going to actually buy some things that we actually need."

Rory looked at him. "You promise it'll be out tomorrow?"

"Yes, Ace, it will be gone tomorrow."

"Alright, then I guess I can deal with it for right now. We'll just have to use one of our other fire exits in the event of a fire tonight."

"Good, now how would you like to join me in the living room for a movie and maybe a foot rub?"

Rory smiled. "I think I can do that."

They went into the living room and Rory sank onto the couch while Logan cued up the movie _Pippi Longstocking_. Rory laughed. "What caused you to pick this?"

"I thought you might like to watch something inane tonight. This was the first thing that came to mind."

Logan settled on the couch next to Rory and pulled her feet into his lap, starting to gently knead her feet. As he worked, Rory felt herself start to relax. Eventually, Rory found herself distracted by Logan's hands on her feet. What was relaxing at first was now somewhat sensual and Rory felt herself getting aroused.

She bit her lip and looked at Logan, trying to decide how to try and start something. She slowly pulled her foot from his grasp, causing Logan to look at her with a question in his eye. She took that as her cue and levered herself into a sitting position. She then got herself into Logan's lap, though she wasn't able to get too close because of her belly. Even though she was rather small for almost 7 months pregnant, she was still rather protruding.

"You okay there Ace?"

"Yes, but I'll be much better once you kiss me."

"Happy to oblige," he said as he pulled her down and moved up to meet her lips. Rory quickly deepened the kiss and she felt Logan tangle his hands in her hair. Rory tried to move a bit closer, but couldn't and found herself get frustrated. Logan must have been able to tell and pulled back.

"You good?"

"No! I can't get closer and it's annoying!"

Logan started to laugh, causing Rory to burst, "Don't laugh at me! I want to have sex with my husband and can't it seems!"

"Ace, it's ok. Hold on, let's stand."

Logan helped Rory stand up and pulled her to him. "How about we try this again?"

Logan pulled her to him for a kiss, which he quickly deepened. After a few moments, she felt his hand on her hips and slowly sliding down. He gathered her skirt in his hands and bunched it around her hips. She felt his fingers dip into the waistband of her underwear and clenched as he danced his fingers over her hips. He then grew more bold and slipped his fingers in the front of her underwear, tracing her folds.

Rory broke their kiss and gasped. Logan smirked at her. "Enjoying yourself?"

In lieu of a response, she decided to be bold and traced her fingers over the front of his pants where she felt his very prominent arousal. Logan grabbed her hand and pulled it away. "Playing with fire there, Ace," he told her.

"Well…I think I'm okay with that."

That was al the impetus Logan needed. He quickly divested her of her clothing and himself of his own. The next thing she knew, she was bent over the couch, bracing herself on the back so that her stomach wasn't smushed and Logan was tracing her folds with his erection.

"Logan," she whined, "Come on!"

Logan chuckled and quickly thrust into her. Rory gasped, which quickly transformed into a moan as Logan set a punishing pace. She was thankful she was holding on to the couch because she wouldn't be able to hold herself up without the chance to concentrate on that. She felt tingles all over her body and knew she would crest soon. Logan seemed to be able to tell and reached around her belly to reach her clit, where he applied pressure. After a few more thrusts, Rory felt herself tighten and fall over the edge.

While she was orgasming, Logan slowed his thrusts down to draw her orgasm out. Once she came back to herself, Logan started to speed up again. Without the opportunity to recover, Rory was quickly chasing that high again. Since she had already orgasmed once, she quickly crested again. This time, Logan didn't stop and quickly followed her. He pulled out and staggered back, grabbing the back of a dining room chair to stop himself from falling over. Rory's arms gave out and she placed her head on her arms, trying to recover.

After several moments, she heard Logan laugh. "Ace, if you need help moving, let me know. Just know that if you stay that way much longer, I'll be ready to go again in no time."

Rory laughed and levered herself up to standing again. "Sorry, I just didn't want to move. Want to move this to the bedroom?"

Logan smiled. "You're speaking my language I think."


	18. Chapter 17

A week later, Rory sat at the small desk in the living room working on the thank you cards for all the gifts she and Logan received for baby boy. While she knew she needed to get through the notes, especially since she was getting closer to her due date and the doctor said she would probably go early since she was measuring ahead by several weeks. However, she couldn't seem to get her mind to cooperate and she was constantly staring out the window, thinking over the baby's room, her to-do list, and anything besides those cards.

Sighing, Rory decided to take a break and slowly stood up. While last week she might have been complaining about her size, this week she suddenly felt every day of of her pregnancy. It seemed like overnight she suddenly blossomed and looked pregnant and she was unsteady on her feet all the time. She was also to the point that she was ready for the baby to be born. She definitely wanted her body back.

She waddled around the living room for a few minutes, trying to work some feeling back into her legs and debating getting something to eat since she was already up. Deciding food was a good idea, she made her way into the kitchen and looked through their cupboards to see what was available. Here she was, pregnant and hungry, and there wasn't a single thing that sounded good to her.

Rustling through their menu drawer, Rory discovered a Chinese menu to one of her favorite restaurants and decided to order in. After a bit of debating, she decided to order enough that she and Logan could also eat it for lunch. She quickly made the call and ordered more than enough food for both of them. Knowing it would take them almost an hour, she made a promise to herself to get more of those cards written.

End game in mind, she settled at her desk with renewed vigor. As she wrote the cards, she found herself trying to figure out who the majority of the people were. She obviously knew the family members and the people of Stars Hollow, but the majority of the cards were of people that she didn't know. She recognized some of the last names, but she couldn't pick them out of a crowd if she tried. That thought was rather depressing and made her pause again. Did she really not know anyone in Hartford? Did she now know anyone around her in the neighborhood? Was she so caught up in everything with her life that she didn't bother to meet new people?

Rory was roused from her rumination by the doorbell ringing. Heaving herself up, she grabbed her wallet and opened the door. She smiled and thanked the delivery guy. She signed the credit card slip and tipped him handsomely before closing the door and moving back into the living room. She sent a quick text to Logan to let him know she'd ordered enough Chinese for him whenever he got home. That done, she spread everything on the coffee table and tried to figure out where to sit. Normally, she would sit on the floor. But, there was no way she'd be able to get herself back up until Logan came home. And she didn't know when that would be.

Rory sighed as she realized she'd have to get inventive. She remembered a small card table in their pantry and went to get it. She got it out and moved back into the living room. She popped the legs out and set it to the side, but close enough she could eat her food on it also. She then moved the food to it. Pleased with the product, she settled down on the couch and turned the TV on. She decided she wanted to enjoy another guilty pleasure: _Sabrina the Teenage Witch_. Logan didn't understand her love of the show, but she continued to watch it anyways.

The episode started and Rory loaded her plate up. She happily munched until Logan got home about an hour later and joined her.

"Ace, you weren't lying when you said you ordered a lot of food," he laughed as he leaned down to kiss her.

Rory blushed. "I couldn't help it. I was hungry, but couldn't decide what I wanted. I then thought about you and how much you'd like it also. So, I just ordered whatever caught my fancy and that I thought you'd like."

"Ace, it's fine. I'm just teasing you. Give me a few minutes to change into some sweats and I'll join you in your," Logan started and then grimaced, " _Sabrina the Teenage Witch_ marathon."

Rory laughed as he walked away. By the time he returned, Rory stopped the show and changed it over to Logan's side of Hulu for him to pick something. They settled on the couch and watched the movie Logan picked in silence for a bit. Eventually, they started talking about their days and Rory brought up the thing that had been niggling at her for a bit.

"Logan, do you think I close myself off?"

Logan looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Rory explained the thoughts she had earlier. "I just feel like I'm realizing that we have this whole life here now and I haven't even bothered trying to get to know people or anything."

Logan stopped her before she could continue. "Ace, take a breath. Listen to me. You have closed yourself off a bit, but I think it's understandable. You're pregnant, we've just announced our marriage, moved into a new house, and are settling down in general. I think they'll cut you some slack considering what's going on in your life."

Rory released a breath, feeling better, but not totally. "Are you sure? I didn't recognize most of those people and I feel completely terrible about it! I'm a terrible wife!"

"Rory, stop. You are not a terrible wife. Your are distracted and pregnant, so it's fine! Take a calming breath and think for a minute."

Rory took the breath and calmed slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm just neurotic I guess."

"I can see that. What brought this on?"

"I told you. I was writing thank you cards for the people from the shower last weekend and I just realized that since I've been in Hartford, I haven't bothered to go out and meet anyone. I don't know a single person around us and it's lonely coming from Stars Hollow."

After that statement, Rory clammed up, realizing the truth of her words. For as long as she could remember, she always had the townspeople around her, acting as a second family for her, guiding her through her stages, and watching her every move. She was always surrounded by people that, while annoying, loved her and wanted her to be the best she could be. But, now she didn't have that. She was on her own, hypothetically speaking. She obviously wasn't alone because she had Logan, her grandparents, and her mom (she thought). But, it wasn't the same.

Rory felt herself tear up at the thought. While she was happy with her life with Logan, she couldn't help but be sad at the end of an era for her, an era she hadn't even acknowledged was done. Logan wiped the tears from her face. "Want to fill me in on what's making you cry?"

Rory sniffled, answering, "I just realized that the Stars Hollow part of my life is over."

Logan pulled Rory to him. "Ace, listen to me. It's over, but not really. You don't live there, but you're still their princess. Or, was it Ice Cream Queen?"

Rory laughed at that, remembering Taylor's attempt to get her to be the queen at his Soda Shoppe's opening day. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right. Now, why don't we settle back into the movie and you can call you mom later to see about a visit?"

Rory nodded and snuggled into his side, trying to concentrate on the movie and not on her thoughts.

—

The next day found Rory sitting at her desk again, attempting to write the thank you cards. She wasn't having much luck, however, same as the day before. She was interrupted by a knock on the door. She furrowed her brow, not sure who would be there since she obviously didn't know anyone in the neighborhood. She slowly made her way to the door and opened it to find Lane on the other side.

"Lane!" Rory shouted, pulling her into a hug.

"It's so good to see you!" Lane returned, hugging her back just as tight.

Lane stepped back and looked at Rory. "You've gotten so big since I saw you last! And you still look amazing. Do you remember how big I was at this point?"

Rory laughed and stepped back to let Lane in. "So, not that I'm not happy to see you, what brings you by?"

Lane shrugged. "Nothing much. I just thought I'd drop by and see if you wanted to spend a day with me."

Rory squinted at Lane, not quite accepting her reasoning, but also not wanting to fight it too much. "Alright, hold on. Let me grab my purse."

Rory quickly gathered her things and sent a text to Logan to let her know she'd be with Lane for a bit. Lane helped her down the stairs and into the car. They kept up an easy banter in the car and Rory felt her spirits lifting. She also found herself not paying attention to where they were going, so she was rather surprised when the car stopped. Rory looked around and realized she was in Stars Hollow by the town square. She also realized it was decked out for a massive festival.

"What festival is going on today?" she asked Lane.

"Well, funny you should ask that. This is the Lorelai Gilmore Festival."

Rory looked at her askance. "The Lorelai Gilmore Festival?"

Lane nodded. "Yeah, seems your husband got it in his head that you were feeling a bit down and could use a bit of cheering. So, he called Taylor and your mom and, between the three of them, they got this festival set up. Notice that it seems like it's a collection of all the festivals we've ever had in Stars Hollow. We have that weird psychic, SnoCones, all the fair games, some kid rides, and all sorts of things."

Rory was silent for a few beats as she took it all in. She felt herself beginning to smile. "You mean to tell me that Logan, Taylor, and my Mom all managed to make this happen today? In only like 12 hours?"

Lane nodded. Rory continued. "I can't believe it."

"Well, believe it. Come on, lady of the hour."

They both got out from the car and Rory's face felt like it was going to split in two she was so happy with everything. She they walked through the square and into the festival, Rory found herself thinking back to all the different festivals she attended in the town growing up: the crazy Hay Bale Maze, Harvest Festivals, Summer festival, and so on. This was a mash-up of all these.

She slowly walked around, waving at people, but not stopping to talk to anyone. After she finished her circuit, she started to look for her mom or Logan. It took her a few minutes, but she finally found Logan standing by one of the kid games. She made her way over to him. "Hey you."

Logan looked at her and smiled. "Well, if it isn't the guest of honor!"

Rory tilted her head up to accept Logan's proffered kiss. "So, what do you think, Ace?"

"I think this is pretty amazing. I just can't believe that you apparently worked with my mom and Taylor? I'm trying to imagine this in my head."

"Well, it's amazing what a little bit of money will do. Throw enough money at someone and they'll do just about anything they want you to. And, a perk, is that now, this is an established festival. That means that each year on this day, you will have a festival dedicated to just you. And your mom. She was pretty insistent it be Lorelai and not Rory. I think she was a little jealous actually."

Rory laughed. "I don't doubt it. I should find her, actually. Do you know where she is?"

"I think she was over by the psychic."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I should have known that."

She pecked him on the cheek really quick and walked towards the psychic. She saw her mom hovering outside the tent and said, "Hey Mom. You know, for her to tell you your fortune, you have to go inside."

"Kid! How are you?"

They embraced as Rory answered, "I'm doing well. So, you helped organize this."

Lorelai laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, with some help from Taylor."

Rory cocked an eye at her. "Just Taylor."

Lorelai sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Logan helped too."

Rory giggled. "Was that so hard?"

"I want to gag, so I'd say yes."

They linked arms and looked over the festival. "So, what do you think, kid? Good?"

Rory nodded. "Very good. I can't believe you three were able to pull this together so quickly."

"Neither am I. I can't believe it either."

"It's pretty amazing that he was able to make it happen."

Lorelai muttered, "Yeah, only because he has a lot of money."

Rory stiffened. "Mom, did you just say what I think he did."

Lorelai grimaced, realizing she'd been caught. Sighing, she said, "I just said it's because he has a lot of money."

Rory stepped back from her mom. "I'm not going to deny that it's probably because Logan has a lot of money. But, I'm also not going to deny that the meaning behind this trumps that. Sure, he probably wouldn't do this if we were poor. But, I can't believe you would try to cheapen this with your own opinions."

With that, Rory walked up, steaming and unable to believe her mom would say something like that. Yeah, this wouldn't happen if they didn't have the money. But, they did. So, Logan decided to do something nice. She eventually found a bench and sat down, trying to cool off, but feeling unable to. If anything, she was starting to feel worse and she didn't know how to stop it.

She texted Logan where she was and said she wasn't feeling too great. He texted her would be there for her soon and to wait. As she sat there, her stomach started to cramp and she felt like she couldn't move. She placed her hand on her belly and could feel it rhythmically tightening and loosening. It seemed like ages, but Logan finally came up to her with a look of concern. "Is everything okay, Ace?"

"Ummm," Rory said, with a look of pain. She suddenly gasped as she felt a slight gushing. "I think I'm in labor."


	19. Chapter 18

With the admission of her labor, Logan sprung into action. He pulled her up and walked her to the car. While they made their way, Rory was panicking. "It's early isn't it? I definitely think it's early. I shouldn't be in labor right now. I can't believe I'm in labor!"

Logan tried to calm her, but it wasn't easy by any means. He helped her into the car and then made her way around. Once the car was on, he speed dialed their doctor. He picked up on the second ring and Logan was already on his way. The doctor said he'd be waiting for them there and Logan quickly hung up. Rory was pretty sure he was setting land speed records at the speed he was driving, but she found she didn't care. What she thought was uncomfortable earlier was now down right painful.

Thankfully, they quickly arrived and Logan pulled up to the ER bay. There were nurses outside waiting with a wheelchair. Logan got out and made his way around the car, helping Rory slowly get up. They waddled their way over to the wheelchair and Rory plopped down.

"Mr. Huntzberger, go part your car sir and we'll wait for you by the elevators. They've already prepped a room upstairs for her. But, hurry. We can't wait too long."

Logan nodded and sped off. Rory tried to concentrate on her breathing as they wheeled her inside and to the elevator. What seemed like ages, but was probably only several minutes, Logan finally joined them and the nurses called the elevator. Rory gripped his hand and tried to smile at her. But, it was probably really a grimace.

They quickly made their way up to the Labor and Delivery floor and Rory groaned when she got there, but it wasn't from the pain. "I forgot about the name of this floor!"

Logan looked at her quizzically until he noticed the name on the wall. "Something you need to tell me, Ace?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "It was named for my Great-grandmother, not me."

Logan laughed as they walked by the big lettering on the wall that said, "Lorelai Gilmore Labor and Delivery Wing." They were wheeled down the hall and into a room, where Rory was helped onto the bed. The nurses closed the privacy curtain and Logan helped Rory into the hospital gown and then helped her to lay back on the bed.

"Thanks, Logan."

"No problem, Ace. Are you comfortable?"

"Well, as comfortable as can be considering I think I'm being ripped apart inside."

They were silent for a few minutes before Rory asked, "Logan, have you called everyone?"

Logan's eyes widened. "I didn't even think about that. Let me go do that now."

As he was making his way out, he was met by the doctor and turned around to come back in. "Logan, go on and call. I'm sure this will just involved poking and prodding."

With verification from the doctor, Logan went into the hall while the doctor stepped closer. "So, Rory, how are you feeling?"

Rory glared at him and the doctor chuckled. "Well, I guess that was a bit of a stupid question. Let's take a look, shall we?"

The nurses helped Rory get herself situated on the bed and her feet in the stirrups. While it wasn't as uncomfortable as it used to be, Rory still wasn't quite comfortable to have someone looking at her lady bits. She could feel the doctor down there, but wasn't sure what was going on. After a few minutes, the doctor rolled back and said, "Well, it seems that your labor is progressing very quickly. Can you tell me when your pains started?"

Rory thought about it while she moved her legs out of the stirrups. "Well, I've had some stomach pains for a few days, but chalked it up to eating something bad or whatever."

The doctor nodded. "What about full labor?"

Rory shrugged. "I'm not sure. My stomach pains were worse this morning, but nothing that I couldn't deal with to be honest. I guess it was an hour or so ago that they worsened to the point that I thought I was just going to be sick."

"Well, that's a bit quick, but some women are just built for labor. You've already dilated 5 cm. I think you've probably been dilated for a while now, which is why you've progressed so quickly. We'll be checking periodically and when you reach 10 cm, you'll be ready to deliver. You need to decide now if you want an epidural. If you wait too much longer, you won't be able to get one."

Not pausing to think about it, Rory just nodded her head. "Oh, yes to that epidural. I wanted it yesterday!"

The doctor chuckled. "I'll get the tech in here in a few minutes then. I'll see you in a bit."

Patting her leg, the doctor walked out. A few minutes later, a nurse came in and got the fetal heart-rate monitor hooked up to her. They spent a little bit getting it set just right and Rory was amazed at the sudden whooshing she heard. "So, that's baby's heart beat," she said in awe.

"Yes, ma'am."

The nurse left her and Logan walked in. "I saw the doctor in the hall and he filled me in. Sounds like we'll have a baby today," he told her as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, looks like we'll have a baby. Did you get up with everyone?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah, I left a message for our friends, so I'm not sure when I'll hear from them. But, our families are on their way. Once they get here, I imagine they'll want to visit you for a bit. Is that okay?"

Rory grimaced as a contraction hit and sighed. "I guess. If I go on and get it out of the way, then there's less opportunity for them to come in at a really bad moment."

"That's the spirit, Ace."

Before Rory could respond, another technician walked in. "I'm here to give you your epidural," she chirped.

Rory's eyes widened at her perkiness, but didn't say anything, just followed her directions as they told her to roll on her side. Logan helped her and talked to her to distract from the very large needle being poked in her back. After a few moments, the needle was in and Rory was able to ease back onto there back. "It should kick in in a few minutes. If it doesn't, ring the nurse station and I'll come back to down to check it out."

Rory nodded and tried to relax. They both sat in silence until Logan's phone chirped. He checked it and told her, "My parents are in the waiting room. Can I go get them?"

Rory nodded and watched him leave. She tried to steel herself for whatever might be about to happen. Mitchum and Shira came in with a balloon bouquet and a small bunch of flowers. "Rory!" Mitchum boomed, "How are you feeling?"

"Well, a bit like my insides are being squeezed in a vise. Other than that, I can't complain too much."

Mitchum laughed. Shira piped in, "I feel your pain. Labor with Honor and Logan was horrendous for me. Until they got the epidural in I thought I was just going to throw up on everything."

Rory was taken aback at Shira's candidness. "Uh, yeah. It did feel a bit like that now that you mention it."

They stayed a few minutes longer and left when they Logan told them Rory's grandparents were outside. Richard and Emily came in and visited her for a minute, also bringing in balloons and flowers. They didn't stay long either because Lorelai arrived and Logan wanted her to have a chance to see Rory before things progressed too much further. Lorelai came in and gasped mockingly. "Wow, did you suddenly buy out an arboretum?"

"Ha ha," Rory said, rolling her eyes. "Grandma and Grandpa and Logan's parents brought them for me."

"How are you feeling kid?" Lorelai asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well, Ive been better considering everyone that sees me asks that.

Lorelai winced. "Yeah, I guess you'll be getting that a lot in the coming hours. Do you need anything?"

Rory shook her head. "No, I don't. Logan's pretty much made sure I've got everything I thought I might want and he has people on speed dial to get things I haven't even thought of yet."

The doctor walked in then and smiled at Lorelai. "Mrs. Huntzberger, let's check you out again."

Rory scooted down the bed, but didn't place her legs up. She looked at her mom. "Mom, can you leave the room?"

"Rory, come on. We talked about me being here when you gave birth. We've always planned on my being in here."

"I know we talked about it, but I hadn't had a chance to talk to you about the changes Logan and I decided on."

"Logan and I? _Logan and I_? What happened to you and I, huh? I've been in your life way longer and I wanted to be here for the birth of my first grandchild."

"Mom! You're being childish. Logan and I want to have the most stress free environment that we can possibly have considering I'm about to push a watermelon out of my hoo-ha. For that to happen, it need to be just me, Logan, the doctor, and the nurses. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but to be honest, I don't think I care. This day isn't about you. It's about me and the baby that is trying to force its way out. Something that you are impeding as we can't check the progress until you leave."

Lorelai's mouth hung open and she didn't respond. "I can't believe you're my daughter. My daughter wouldn't speak to me like that."

With that, Lorelai left the room and Rory breathed a sigh of relief. She placed her feet in the stirrups and waited for the doctor to tell her what was going on. After a few seconds, he said, "Well, it looks like you're still progressing quickly. You're sitting at 7 cm now. I'll be back in a bit to check again to see where we are."

Rory and Logan thanked him and settled back down. "So, want to talk about what just happened, Ace?"

"Oh, the 7 cm. Yeah, I'm a little freaked. I thought once I went into labor, I'd have a bit more time to get ready. But this is moving fast!"

Logan sighed. "You know that's not what I'm talking about."

Rory started to fidget and wouldn't meet his eyes. She softly filled him in on what Lorelai said earlier. "Well, that would explain your blow up with her, wouldn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just couldn't deal with it, you know? I thought she was different. I thought she was accepting. But today just shows me that she's not. I'm not sure what's going on with her that she can't just grow up enough to realize that we're in it for the long haul and, if she's not careful, she won't get to see much of baby."

"I understand, Ace. Don't worry about it too much. Just worry about that little bundle of joy that will be joining us soon enough."

The next several hours passed in a blur. By 3 p.m., Rory was in a delivery room and Logan was suited up. Rory was being walked through the beginning stages of her pushing and she already wanted to quit. "Now I understand why some people choose to have a C-section or adopt," she sobbed as she did another big push.

Logan squeezed her hand. "Come on, Rory. You're doing great. Only a few more."

"I just don't know if I can."

"You're so strong. You can definitely do it. Just think about the little baby we're about to hold in our arms."

Rory continued to sob as she pushed as hard as she could. Finally, after what felt like days, she heard a small cry and her breath caught. The doctor held the baby up and said, "We have a healthy baby boy!"

Rory burst into tears and Logan hugged her. Eventually, Rory realized Logan was crying too. They both watched as they cleaned the baby off a bit and placed him on Rory's chest. "Say hi to mommy," the nurse said, stepping back.

Rory lightly touched the head, running her fingers through the little bit of hair there. "Can you believe it?" she asked. "We made this."

"Yeah, we did," Logan agreed.

"Well, Mom and Dad. Do we have a name," the nurse asked as she took the baby off Rory's chest for the rest of the cleaning up and weighing process.

They looked at each other. "We do," Rory said. "We want to name him Richard William Huntzberger."


	20. Epilogue

Though it had been a bitter pill to swallow, Rory finally had to accept that she and her mom would never be the same. Rory couldn't understand why Lorelai was so prejudiced against her marriage and Lorelai couldn't understand why Rory wanted to be a part of that life. Even still, Rory made sure she never kept Richard away from her. She didn't want either of them to experience the worry of being around each other like she did with Richard and Emily when she was a teenager.

Shortly after giving birth to Richard and coming home, Richard Gilmore passed away in his sleep. Within hours of this, Emily also passed away. It was a hard blow for everyone, especially Rory as she wanted her Grandfather and son to have a chance to get to know each other. She would have to make sure Richard lived on in his great grandson. And, while it was difficult to lose Emily at the same time, Rory realized it was probably from a broken heart and couldn't fault her Grandma for wanting to join the love of her life.

Things settled in nicely for Logan and Rory. Once they were home and ready for visitors, they hosted a housewarming party to show off their house. The ended up buying a three bedroom house and building an edition on the back that housed their master suite and another guest room. It was an open concept house that flowed easily from the kitchen to the dining room and into the living room. The only separation between them was a two step drop when they entered the living room. Other than that, you could see everything.

Rory also got her library, which Logan made sure to fit out with built in bookcases to house all her books and the ones she inherited from her grandfather. Even still, she found that her shelves quickly filled and was trying to convince Logan to add on to the library or at least allow her to take something from another room. Logan was also able to convince Rory to let him have a media room. It had taken some work on his part, but she finally agreed to turn what was going to be the office into a lavish space for them to watch movies with their friends. Logan ended up taking one of the guest rooms and making it into an office space for him when it was needed.

All told, Rory couldn't complain about her life and what she built. While it hadn't happened the way she wanted it to, she was still incredibly happy with it the way it was. It had been difficult, especially realizing that her life in Stars Hollow was over and she had to make a new one in Hartford. And, the rift with her mom took its toll on her, contributing to a near brush with full blown Postpartum depression. But, with Logan there and some sessions with a psychiatrist, Rory realized that she didn't need her mom in her life to define her anymore. She had Logan. She had Richard. She had her friends. And she had her writing. Those things combined created a pretty idyllic life that Rory wouldn't change for the world.

Walking onto the back patio, Rory saw everyone that she held near and dear to her sitting around, drinking beer and laughing. As she took her seat next to Logan, Rory said, "You know, I think that what we've got here is pretty great Huntzberger."

"Really?" he asked. "Why do you say that?"

"Look at all these people. Think about the impact they've all had on us. Even your parents. I'd say that it's pretty amazing. We're so lucky to have them. And so is Richard."

"Speaking of, where is the little guy?" Logan asked.

"Oh, your dad took him from me a while ago."

"My dad?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow and looking skeptical.

"Don't give me that look. He's your dad! And, he insisted."

She noticed Logan scanning the yard and looked also. She eventually spotted him sitting in a lounge chair under a tree. Rory pointed him out to Logan. "See, I wasn't lying."

"I didn't think you were, Ace. I'm just trying to wrap my head around my dad, the grandfather."

"How is that so hard to believe? Honor has kids."

"Yeah, but I've never really seen him interact with them. So, I guess I need to re-evaluate my opinion of my dad, don't I?'

"That might be smart. And, while you're at it, go on and re-evaluate your mom too. She's been pretty pleasant also."

Logan didn't comment and turned back to the conversation he was having previously.

Rory looked at him and smiled. She really and truly didn't know what she had done to get so lucky.


End file.
